Quantum

A giant magic carpet ride - wave after wave of weightlessness as the platform sweeps through huge circular arcs.

Is Quantum open today?

Yes — Quantum is open right now, with a 5-minute queue (as of 20:02 UK time).

Typically 5 minutes at this hour over the last 28 days, ranging from about 5 minutes at its quietest to 13 at its busiest — about what this ride normally does at this time of day. Compare with every other ride →

About Quantum

Quantum is a large magic carpet ride in the Lost City area, opened in 2003. Around forty riders sit in two long back-to-back rows on a flat platform carried on rotating arms - as the arms sweep the platform through big vertical circles, riders rise and fall through repeated waves of strong positive G and genuine weightlessness. The platform itself stays level throughout and there are no inversions.

The magic carpet format is a theme park classic, and Quantum is a big one: the sweep of the arms is tall enough that the floaty moment at the top of each arc is a proper stomach-drop rather than a gentle flutter, and it comes around again and again for the whole cycle.

What to Expect

Quantum alternates between pressing you firmly into the seat at the bottom of each arc and floating you out of it against the lap bar at the top. That rhythm - squash, float, squash, float - delivers more moments of airtime per minute than most of the park's coasters, which is why a ride that looks like a gentle carousel from the path has such a loyal following among people who know.

Because half the seats face one direction and half the other, the two sides ride differently: the side travelling backwards over the crest of each arc gets the stronger stomach-drop, without being able to see it coming.

Tips for Riding Quantum

• Ride after a meal at your peril. The relentless rise-and-fall rhythm makes Quantum one of the park's more motion-sickness-prone rides, despite never going upside down.
• Pick your direction. Half the platform faces each way - the backwards-travelling side gives the stronger weightless moments. If the ride host offers a choice, take it deliberately.
• Shorter queues than the coasters. Quantum rarely hits extreme wait times and slots neatly between coaster rides - a genuine hidden gem at busy times.
• Secure loose items. The repeated airtime will find anything loose in an open pocket.

When to Ride Quantum

Quantum almost never carries a serious queue - 5 to 15 minutes covers the vast majority of the season - because most visitors walk straight past it on their way to the coasters. That obscurity is your opportunity: it slots into any gap in your day, and it is one of the best rides in the park for the dead zone straight after lunch when every coaster is at its daily peak.

If the live board ever shows Quantum above 20 minutes, that is a signal the whole park is rammed - recalibrate your plans and lean on the high-throughput rides like Inferno and The Swarm.

Good to Know Before You Queue

Quantum is routinely underestimated. From the path it looks like a slow carousel; from the platform, the surges of airtime as the arms sweep through their arcs are relentless in a way that surprises coaster veterans - there is no track to read, just the rhythm of the machine lifting you out of your seat again and again. People who dismiss flat rides tend to come off this one recalculating.

Practical notes: empty your pockets properly - this ride finds loose change like a metal detector - and do not ride directly after eating; the constant rise-and-fall makes it one of the most motion-sickness-prone experiences in the park. Minimum height 1.2m. If you come off grinning rather than green, Samurai and Zodiac are your logical next stops - the three form Thorpe's unofficial "spin gauntlet".

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