Accident at Alton Towers

[Ian]

I too was there today and yes, it was dead. The car park was quiet. The shops were quiet. The rides were walk on! Smiler did have a max 20min queue a couple of times throughout the day but both times I went on it, it was virtually walk-on.

Longest queue by far was for the Runaway Train, which was about 20mins shortly after lunch.

Oh, unless you count the Burger Kitchen near Hex, that had a massive queue at lunchtime.

Seriously though, nearly all of the ride queues today were empty - even Rita was a one train wait! I managed two full laps of the park, a 10:30 start, a leisurely lunch and a 4pm leave. I even considered doing the Fish Life Centre because it was so quiet. It was quieter than this time last year.

What I did notice is the amenities such as the cable cars, food outlets and merch shops now have longer queues. I guess where's there is a reduction in available rides, restaurants and rides are walk-on, people find something else to do!

It will be interesting to see if business picks up next week when the Air rebrand is open and Easter hits.

Regarding Smiler, I did feel slightly strange riding front row left centre first thing but I enjoyed my ride. Second ride, I sat middle row and it was terrible - rough, juddery and unpleasant. It's very much a marmite coaster for me but, judging by its whopping 15min or so queue today, the goons queuing for it yesterday and the number of Twitter interactions CF had, it's popular with the punters and 99.9% of people are glad it's open.

 

[Dave]

There was a lot of merch being worn of The Smiler, and it wasn't coaster enthusiasts wearing it. Like an odd badge of honour.

 

[owentaylor121]

Are you trying to tell me today was rammed?

Are you **** kidding me?

I WENT today you actual moron. It was dead.

Read my post properly before attacking people. It's people like you why this site is failing so badly!
I said today was busy compared to last year, on days in peak summer last year it was quieter than today. Calm down you idiot.

 

[Sandman]

There was a lot of merch being worn of The Smiler, and it wasn't coaster enthusiasts wearing it. Like an odd badge of honour.

Probably the most famous coaster in the UK now. I imagine there were probably many excited kids all over the UK egging each other on, daring each other to ride it post-accident.

 

[owentaylor121]

There was a lot of merch being worn of The Smiler, and it wasn't coaster enthusiasts wearing it. Like an odd badge of honour.

Probably the most famous coaster in the UK now. I imagine there were probably many excited kids all over the UK egging each other on, daring each other to ride it post-accident.

When getting off the ride a big group of young girls all said I'm so glad we went on it in the end, I think in a few months the park will be back to normal, or I hope it will be.

 

[Smithy]

Since when waa CF failing badly?

If you're going to post something that's outright wrong (as both Ben and Ian have confirmed you were) and be sarcy about it don't kick your toys out the pram when you get called out on it.

 

[owentaylor121]

Since when waa CF failing badly?

If you're going to post something that's outright wrong (as both Ben and Ian have confirmed you were) and be sarcy about it don't kick your toys out the pram when you get called out on it.

Have you even taken the time to read my original comment? I quite clearly said Saturday was rammed, and Sunday was quiet but not as quiet as last year. That's it. Then both Ben and Ian clearly took it the wrong way and thought I said Sunday was rammed.
I'm sorry but if you can't see Coasterforce isn't doing aswell as let's say 4 years ago then your blind. Updates are less frequent, much smaller group of posting members and just the atmosphere on the forums is nowhere near the same.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Opening weekends are never busy at parks...

Also, I hear Owen's frustrstion that people don't read, and Ben called him a moron first. So can you all maybe chill? I don't want to hear another insult. The end. Moving on now.

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[Ian]

Have you even taken the time to read my original comment? I quite clearly said Saturday was rammed, and Sunday was quite but not as quite as last year. That's it. Then both Ben and Ian clearly took it the wrong way and thought I said Sunday was rammed.

When in my post did I clearly take what you said the wrong way? I never mentioned Saturday. All I did was factually report what I experienced at the park on Sunday :? If you want me to respond to your post, then I would say it's foolish to think "the park is back to how it used to be" based on the first two days of the season! Saturday, by the sounds of it, was moderately busy with regulars returning and Sunday, from my own experience, was dead. I think only a fair assessment of Alton Towers returning to its glory days can be made after the Easter holidays and the first couple of weeks of summer. Think about this: Nearly every news programme and television programme at the end of last week advertised that the park was opening this weekend and, IMO, that publicity did not lead to a rammed park over the weekend. Alton is not out of the wood yet.

And if you want to think CF is going downhill, you are welcome to think that. But this topic is not the place to discuss it.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

I'm fairness, Ian, he never crticised you directly. Others have put words into his mouth re: you "disagreeing" with him. He then rightly got angry and lashed out. And now no one has a clue what's going on and everyone's accusing and... Eugh.

Look, everyone, this is a beautiful example of why calling people names is a problem. Disagree by all means, but without the initial "moron" this probably wouldn't have continued down the misunderstanding road. The second someone says something like that, people get defensive and it derails.

Don't keep pulling a dogs tail then get mad when it bites.

Thanks, moving on.

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[CoastinBear]

I'm finding it rather interesting doing a daily Twitter search for "Alton Towers". I wonder how long it'll be before 'they' stop retweeting the newspaper articles that generate the automatic "Crash Coaster re-opens despite protests" and "they should have demolished it" Tweets. It seems there is a rather large bank of Twitter "members" who are out to keep these articles bubbling along everyone's timelines.

Also of interest is the fact that most of these accounts have very similar characteristics, such as an avatar (are they called that on Twitter?) that features a picture of a young woman's face, always off-centre and pulling a face that looks like RuPaul in full-on sassy mode.

Just strikes me as odd...

 

[Ben]

Opening weekends are never busy at parks...

Also, I hear Owen's frustrstion that people don't read, and Ben called him a moron first. So can you all maybe chill? I don't want to hear another insult. The end. Moving on now.

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I did read what he put - it was just utterly wrong? I've then read where he has reiterated his point, which remains wrong.

Yesterday was nowhere near as busy as summer days last year.

It's not my fault he's wrong and is having a little cry about being called out on it. You need to be able to point out errors with people's facts on a forum.

 

[Chris Brown]

I think the problem lies here:

Ben was actually at the park yesterday? It was rammed with families, goons and just genral people, same for today, it was quiet but still nowhere near as quiet as last year in peak summer.

The original post that Owen is referring too throughout the thread doesn't make much sense. Owen, you first talk about how Saturday was rammed with goons and families (fair enough) you then say 'same for today' which implies Sunday was the same. You then say Sunday was quiet but not as quiet as summer last year. You've literally gone from Sunday being busy to quiet then back to busy in one sentence. This is by no means a personal attack as I like you and value your opinion however I think this highlights the need for people to check their posts. The whole argument could have easily been avoided had you have been clearer in your original post.

Peace and love.

 

[owentaylor121]

The same for today comment was based on the type of people at the park not how busy the park was, I agree I could have made that clearer but to be spoken to like that was absolutely ridiculous.

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[Lofty]

Loving the forum police :lol:

I really think the park will struggle to get back anywhere near their projected attendance figures of last year. This year will obviously have a lower figure due to offsetting the decreasing figure of last year's attendance upon the year before's annual growth. Interesting to see how it turns out though - it won't be a 'make or break' year as many think, but it will be an important year to grow revenue back.

 

[owentaylor121]

Loving the forum police

I really think the park will struggle to get back anywhere near their projected attendance figures of last year. This year will obviously have a lower figure due to offsetting the decreasing figure of last year's attendance upon the year before's annual growth. Interesting to see how it turns out though - it won't be a 'make or break' year as many think, but it will be an important year to grow revenue back.

That's why I find it so strange that they have closed so many rides that are dedicated to the family market, it's probably the market that spends the most amount of money in the park.

 

[cjbrandy]

Loving the forum police

I really think the park will struggle to get back anywhere near their projected attendance figures of last year. This year will obviously have a lower figure due to offsetting the decreasing figure of last year's attendance upon the year before's annual growth. Interesting to see how it turns out though - it won't be a 'make or break' year as many think, but it will be an important year to grow revenue back.

That's why I find it so strange that they have closed so many rides that are dedicated to the family market, it's probably the market that spends the most amount of money in the park.

Its better they close family rides rather than some of the main coasters- that's what really makes people tick and feel like they're not getting their money's worth.

 

[owentaylor121]

Loving the forum police

I really think the park will struggle to get back anywhere near their projected attendance figures of last year. This year will obviously have a lower figure due to offsetting the decreasing figure of last year's attendance upon the year before's annual growth. Interesting to see how it turns out though - it won't be a 'make or break' year as many think, but it will be an important year to grow revenue back.

That's why I find it so strange that they have closed so many rides that are dedicated to the family market, it's probably the market that spends the most amount of money in the park.

Its better they close family rides rather than some of the main coasters- that's what really makes people tick and feel like they're not getting their money's worth.

True, it's just the amount that's closed, it's such a shame, Ripsaw I can completely understand, same with the Flume but not the rest! I just wish they would replace rides, Submission still hasn't been replaced, the parks flat ride line up is so poor! It's becoming a coaster only park!

 

[Lofty]

Loving the forum police

I really think the park will struggle to get back anywhere near their projected attendance figures of last year. This year will obviously have a lower figure due to offsetting the decreasing figure of last year's attendance upon the year before's annual growth. Interesting to see how it turns out though - it won't be a 'make or break' year as many think, but it will be an important year to grow revenue back.

That's why I find it so strange that they have closed so many rides that are dedicated to the family market, it's probably the market that spends the most amount of money in the park.

Most definitely, especially in recent times with the addition of the third 'hotel' etc.

The thing is, I sort of understand, financially, the reasons in which shutting rides for a theme park is beneficial. I'm not stating this is the reason in which Towers have done it, but it is a possibility. Consider three of the rides that have close - Hex, Sub-Terra and Charlie, these three are, operationally speaking, potentially very expensive to run due to them having the extra additions of themed lighting, animatronics, large energy consumptions, atmospherics etc. Not to mention the amount of staffing on each of them. Now that Galactica takes up around 25 staff compared to say Air's 8 or so, it's a huge increase and the money is quite a lot more.

I get why they've done it, if it indeed is a financial reason, although they'd never admit that as it looks VERY bad to a customer that they 'can't afford to open rides', but I don't agree with it.

 

[furie]

I was discussing this with Neo on the way back. Could the closure of Charlie be an IP thing? By closing the ride, they haven't had to pay royalties. A bit like Sonic going back to being Spinball Whizzer?