Alton Towers | Wicker Man | GCI Wood

[jj23w]

Just a suggestion but I thought that the track layout looks like an Intamin Blitz but who knows. If it's a woodie I'm sure it'll be a solid investment never the less.

 

[Lofty]

Ah, ok, thanks for that.

Yeah, if they add nothing, they're setting themselves up for even more uproar from the general public. Firstly, this year the main aim of the kick-offs is down to the fact that they're not operating as much as previous year and that half of their rides are shut (yes, I know that's exaggerating, but hear me out) THEN they start to advertise a coaster that's only gonna be open in two years time, idiotic. Or, is it?

Next year, they'll reopen the closed attractions and will have given them some TLC via the Alton Loving Care program that's currently in operation - therefore seeming to have invested considerably and offering more to the guests than the year before - when in reality all as they are doing is opening **** that was open the year before but nobody noticed as the other rides were more accessible or interesting.

I think it's a clever business move, but, you're treating tour client base like they're **** retards, and in reality, the clientele won't stand for **** like this easily - especially not when there's price increases for a smaller offering.

 

[Crazycoaster]

Sorry but a family Woodie like that will be overshadowed and completely forgotten about if they open it the same year as Mackpool.

This is a mistake, IMO. Get something **** off and huge and wipe the competition out, don't shove something generic and short in and get forgotten about.

I completely agree.


They should be adding their **** "family" additions in the years between the big investments.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Sorry but a family Woodie like that will be overshadowed and completely forgotten about if they open it the same year as Mackpool.

This is a mistake, IMO. Get something **** off and huge and wipe the competition out, don't shove something generic and short in and get forgotten about.

I completely agree.


They should be adding their **** "family" additions in the years between the big investments.

But... But guys look.

If this is simply a family woodie... What's the attached worlds first? What's the gimmick? Maybe.... Maybe there isn't one.

What if rather than rush in with a big "star" (read: gimmick) attraction, they're aiming to just add content quietly and improve the park overall in the next couple of years. That starts with stuff like the Nemesis repaint and other aesthetic improvements this season.

I know some rides are closed - but we've heard rumours that it's an unfortunate coincidence that the most important of those (Hex) is down for technical reasons and not cost cutting. Since we now know Flume was closed for a damn good reason and... Well, Sub Terra being closed is still an enigma to me tbh. I don't care how unpopular it is, if you're closing one of your newest rides that's hilarious, but does anyone actually care?

It's also easy to forget that we did get an investment this season in ... *fart sound drumroll* ... Galactica. Like that was literally less important in my head than Nemesis' repaint, but the point is that it is a "new" experience they are offering and it won't have been cheap to install and will continue to be extortionate to man.

Frankly, I think it's remarkable that they appear to be adding a nondescript family wooden coaster as the next "big" investment post-Smiler. Like, wow... That's really interesting.

Is that due to budget constraints, is it a lesser version of whatever was planned? It's understandable that whatever was due for 2017 has been postponed whilst they await the affects of last season. On the one hand you have to jump to action and make sure the park is worth visiting, but on the other, there's undoubtably added H&S garb constraining them along wit financial concerns and what not.

This doesn't need to compete with Blackpool's coaster, it can exist as a solid new attraction in its own right and snowball into success. Though, it would be hilarious if they had NO IDEA what Blackpool were doing, which wouldn't surprise me at all.

Perhaps we're getting a major new coaster in 2018? Who knows! Sometimes crazy things happen.

 

[tomahawk]

As a compete outsider on this as I've never been inside a thousand miles of the pak, I honestly see this as an amazing mood.

The SW gimmicks make my blood boil. Do people really care that it has to be a world's first? I mean yeah,here we have world record attempts with **** snuggies at baseball games for giveaways, but a lot of people find those cringworthy as well. Why not just build quality instead of bull **** gimmicks after **** gimmicks.

I understand the park is under noise/height restrictions which is why, at the beginning, it was a great concept when you have these would be massive rides, tucked away, but they are all one trick ponies, minus Nemesis. Yet they were made to be the biggest, craziest thing ever. Kudos to the marketing team for making this happen because they did a damn good job.

Then Thirteen happened and that marketing campaign of waivers, fear, and other bull **** made them kind of a laughing stock. Then Smiler issues and that cluster **** of a ride so what if they are finally not going for that one trick **** and building something truly enjoyable.

The layout doesn't show much, and while GCI aren't doing inverting quintuple up down barrel **** rolls with a happy ending at the end, they build quality enjoyable coasters that everyone can enjoy.

Or I don't know ****.

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[DelPiero]

Caught in the middle of a sea of meh.

The UK seems to be moving at a different pace to other major coaster areas, with Hypers, Gigas, RMCs, Macks and GG's being erected on a regular basis in the US and China, even Sweden, Ireland and Turkey have had some tasty installations recently. Yet the UK in the past 4 years, has a refurbished woodie, a poor Wingrider and a cluster **** of a Gerstlauer. Now a CGI could pop up, which Germany had in 2012, and Belgium in 2010. Running behind the times we are.

However, as much as I would love an RMC here, I'm not entitled to one, and am happy that a woodie could actually be built at AT. I'll be even happier if this turns out to be a family ride, as not only will I have fun, but I can get my son on with me within a few years.

So yeah, feeling a bit meh with slight disappointment mixed with a warm feeling of happiness.

I'll save the crazy enthusiast excitement for Blackpool, if-its-what-they-say-it-is.

 

[TheCoasterCruiser]

Yeah, I haven't been to Alton Towers yet either - but looking at this from the outside - I'd say a traditional woodie with an emphasis on a quality layout is a pretty solid move.
From what we have to look at so far, at least, I think it looks nice and promising.

 

[Dubai_Smoggie]

I hope they don't try and use a 'worlds first' gimmick and just build a nice solid family woodie... but it's Alton we are talking about, you just know they are going to market the balls out of whatever 'world first' gimmick they have planned for this!

 

[spicy]

Quite shocked at the mostly negative response to this..?

The fact it looks like we are finally seeing a new wooden roller coaster in the UK.. The first since 1996! This point seems to have been lost on a lot of people?

Ok it's not exactly Colossos or El Toro, but its a NEW wooden coaster in the UK, which is HUGE news and something we thought may never happen..

In fact, if this turns out to be a steel coaster people will be wishing it was the GCI that they were moaning about :lol:

 

[Lofty]

I don't get the whole 'we need more woodies in the UK' argument though - so my opinion still stands. It could be made out of **** matchsticks and I'd still think the layout in this proposal is ****.

 

[Ketchup]

Quite shocked at the mostly negative response to this..?

The fact it looks like we are finally seeing a new wooden roller coaster in the UK.. The first since 1996! This point seems to have been lost on a lot of people?

Ok it's not exactly Colossos or El Toro, but its a NEW wooden coaster in the UK, which is HUGE news and something we thought may never happen..

In fact, if this turns out to be a steel coaster people will be wishing it was the GCI that they were moaning about :lol:

^ I think the lukewarm reception is because of the fact that realistically only Alton, Thorpe and maybe Blackpool at a push are the only parks that have the potential to build a top 10 wooden rollercoaster and how as a direct result this is a wasted opportunity.

I'm sure if Lightwater Valley or Drayton Manor announced a medium sized GCI woodie, the majority of UK enthusiasts would be delighted.

 

[Crazycoaster]

^ this. Exactly. People are quick to hurrah the possibilities of a new wooden coaster in the uk, but if, as it appears to be, the coaster is no more than a few turns like the layout shown, then the GP arn't gunna be wowed. And the knock on effect of that? No more new woodies in the UK.

I'm sorry but Alton Towers is the flagship park of the second largest player in the industry, we shouldn't be settling for a dull family coaster 5 years after the last major investment. Granted, what's shown may not be what we're getting, but I'm not celebrating mediocrity if it is.

 

[Sandman]

I think it's a bit too soon to write this off as a mediocre ride. Sure, there's a proposal, and it looks like the ride has turns (mental) but we can't really put our finger on what this ride has to offer thus far. Also, I see no issue in a family woodie. If it turns out to be a sack of ****, I'll be the first to say so. I know people get giddy at the thought of new UK coasters but c'mon, let's not put a dampener on it already!

 

[Ian]

People are quick to hurrah the possibilities of a new wooden coaster in the uk, but if, as it appears to be, the coaster is no more than a few turns like the layout shown, then the GP arn't gunna be wowed. And the knock on effect of that? No more new woodies in the UK.

I'd wager that a wooden coaster at Alton Towers will the first, or at least one of the first few, modern wooden coasters the general public would have ridden. Granted there is Blackpool for a traditional experience but it could be argued it's not geographically well positioned to appeal casual members of the public. Even I wince at the thought of driving 5 hours from Hampshire and I love the Pleasure Beach! This is why Alton Towers have the luxury of opening a modern family friendly woodie and it will be loved by the general public. Most will not have a broad frame of reference like us enthusiasts, the park is well placed in the middle of the country and there is a hefty marketing team at Merlin.

Sometimes enthusiasts need a reality check. In an ideal world only RMCs, B&M Hypers, Mega Mega-Launch Things, Mega lites and B&M inverts would be built. That would be awesome. But Alton Towers is not a park built for enthusiasts, nor are the top echelons of management notable enthusiasts. The reality is it's a operation run by corporate people with one eye on the balance sheet. A GCI family styled coaster would be a good addition, can be well marketed (ha!) and will easily impress non-enthusiasts.

One saving grace could be John Wardley's involvement...if he is, that is. Even if his most recent attractions haven't been mind-blowing, at least he is an enthusiast so if he has any influence, and is not overruled like he was rumoured to be re Smiler, we could at least see something fairly special.

Bit of a rambling post but I still think this is a great thing for the UK and the vast majority of casual theme park goers. At last something different in structure compared to the last 20-odd years! I'm just a tad disappointed it's a squandered opportunity for enthusiasts who crave something awesome, especially when I'm still bitter over the now rejected RMC launcher.

 

[Chris Brown]

Bit of a rambling post but I still think this is a great thing for the UK and the vast majority of casual theme park goers. At last something different in structure compared to the last 20-odd years! I'm just a tad disappointed it's a squandered opportunity for enthusiasts who crave something awesome, especially when I'm still bitter over the now rejected RMC launcher.

Think you've hit it bang on there Ian. Its all about perspective really. If we had no idea a ride was being planned and suddenly had a woodie like this shoved in our faces we'd be all over it and rightly so. However, in this instance we've known about SW8 and had tweets from ATR talking about a Forbidden Valley coaster and numerous sources saying a launched RMC (certainly not just an enthusiasts unrealistic pipe dream) yet those plans have seemingly been ditched for a much blander ride. There is inevitably going to be disappointment when plans deviate from something that simply could have been the best in the world. We'd had it dangled in front of us for over a year now and snatched away at the last minute.

I for one don't blame anyone for being disappointed with what appears to be family GCI after being promised a launched RMC.

In the grand scheme of things I'm excited for this ride, just not as excited as I was before.

 

[Pink Cadillac]

Are Gravity Group coasters more expensive than GCI? I did a quick check on rcdb and there didn't seem to be a difference. I'm not bothered that its a family coaster, but choosing GG would have probably offered more airtime and a more of a unique-to-the-UK experience.

 

[MouseAT]

I think the lukewarm reception is because of the fact that realistically only Alton, Thorpe and maybe Blackpool at a push are the only parks that have the potential to build a top 10 wooden rollercoaster and how as a direct result this is a wasted opportunity.

Exactly. Merlin are one of the few with the budget to do it right, but simply aren't bothered about doing so. It's not good enough, and I'm frankly tired of paying extortionate prices for what's quite frankly a substandard experience.

People are quick to hurrah the possibilities of a new wooden coaster in the uk, but if, as it appears to be, the coaster is no more than a few turns like the layout shown, then the GP arn't gunna be wowed. And the knock on effect of that? No more new woodies in the UK.

This is precisely my concern. They've got one opportunity to get this right, and it looks like they're going to squander it on something decidedly average. Good wooden coasters are amazing, but in my experience they're in the minority. I've ridden far more bland or painful wooden coasters than I have good ones.

I'm sorry but Alton Towers is the flagship park of the second largest player in the industry, we shouldn't be settling for a dull family coaster 5 years after the last major investment.

Agreed. I'd also be far more forgiving of a smaller, less interesting investment if all the major investments since Merlin took over hadn't been gimmicky ****. If we'd had even one ride that approached Nemesis level quality in the post-Tussauds era, I'd cut them a lot of slack, and possibly even be supportive of their decision, but this just screams "corporate/marketing box ticking" as opposed to "fantastic new attraction".

Missed opportunity. (Insert "Yawn" or "FFS" depending on mood).

I'm not bothered that its a family coaster, but choosing [Gravity Group] would have probably offered more airtime and a more of a unique-to-the-UK experience.

That's my concern. GCI have definitely been a bit of a mixed bag, and that layout doesn't look earth shattering. If we were looking at even a smaller Gravity Group ride (along the lines of Grona Lund's Twister) then I'd be a lot more optimistic.

 

[GuyWithAStick]

Are Gravity Group coasters more expensive than GCI? I did a quick check on rcdb and there didn't seem to be a difference. I'm not bothered that its a family coaster, but choosing GG would have probably offered more airtime and a more of a unique-to-the-UK experience.

I agree a GG would've been better, but you have a nice one over in Ireland, so a GCI is a tad more unique to the area.

 

[Ian]

I'm sorry but Alton Towers is the flagship park of the second largest player in the industry, we shouldn't be settling for a dull family coaster 5 years after the last major investment.

Agreed. I'd also be far more forgiving of a smaller, less interesting investment if all the major investments since Merlin took over hadn't been gimmicky ****. If we'd had even one ride that approached Nemesis level quality in the post-Tussauds era, I'd cut them a lot of slack, and possibly even be supportive of their decision, but this just screams "corporate/marketing box ticking" as opposed to "fantastic new attraction".

By "we'd", I suppose you're talking about enthusiasts? Merlin has given us The Swarm which is generally loved by enthusiasts but not so much the general public. On the other side of the coin, Merlin gave us Smiler which is moderately well received by goons, but adored by the public (despite the negative press last year). I'm an optimist at heart (honestly!), I'm looking at SW8 as a casual rider would, not as an enthusiast, because I realise that's who SW8 is aimed at. I think it's almost impossible to say that it will be ill received by the public. Something tells me I'm going to enjoy the next 20 months playing devils advocate with enthusiasts on this one. The next big thing to happen for UK enthusiasts will be the rumoured Mackpool coaster, whether Alton fanboys disagree with that or not!

 

[owentaylor121]

I'm not sure where all this Merlin making bad coasters is coming from? Th13teen is loved by families and most GP, it was just marketed badly, The Smiler is arguably still Alton Towers most popular ride with the GP despite the accident and still pulls big queues and I don't think I've ever seen hype from goons and GP for a ride like that in years! Flug seems to be well received, The Swarm is pretty well liked now people are used to it, Krake seems to be loved by almost everyone, Oblivion: The Black Hole seems to be well received too and Raptor is well liked.
I know it's might not be exactly what we hoped for but Merlin do have a good track record when it comes to coasters.

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