The Smiler - your thoughts?
- Thread starter SaiyanHajime
- Start date
Joey said:I've got the video to work, eventually. I have no idea how to ever do it, either. Furie's advice was useless.
Awesome video, too funny.
On one of the previous 200 times this was brought up, I gave a full explanation and Gavin was all like "the take the s out solution was so much easier". So I can't win, so bollocks to all you people too stupid to work it out
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Screaming Coasters
Strata Poster
Yeah what Phil said - a big hairy bollock for you all!
Dan1989
Mega Poster
I went to Alton towers last Friday and was lucky enough to get 1 ride in. We arrived dead on 9AM then ran straight for the smiler. after waiting in the Que until 11;30, after watching 100's of water filled dummies riding the coaster. (and Jesus, that music is enough to make you want to jump off oblivion)! we finally got in the maze that is the actual Que line, after about a ten minuet walk we finally arrived in the station, waiting for another 5 then got dispatched on the second train.
The coaster is a very good ride, but it inst Nemesis, my stomach did not go half as much as i thought it would. The themeing is irrelevant as you done even see it during the ride.
As we got off and walked back out into the mass crowds, we noticed the train that had been dispatched behind us was stuck right on the vertical lift hill, its was there for a good 15 - 20 minuets. (That is what I call a lucky escape).
all in all it is a very good coaster, but I have been on better and it is not quite Nemesis.
The coaster is a very good ride, but it inst Nemesis, my stomach did not go half as much as i thought it would. The themeing is irrelevant as you done even see it during the ride.
As we got off and walked back out into the mass crowds, we noticed the train that had been dispatched behind us was stuck right on the vertical lift hill, its was there for a good 15 - 20 minuets. (That is what I call a lucky escape).
all in all it is a very good coaster, but I have been on better and it is not quite Nemesis.
FaceYourNemesis
Hyper Poster
Well just my luck that the Smiler stalled again yesterday. I was so looking forward to this as well.
On the plus side, it's not every day you get told off by a bumble bee for trying to take pictures of a stalled train...
On the plus side, it's not every day you get told off by a bumble bee for trying to take pictures of a stalled train...
I keep making plans and booking days off to go and ride The Smiler, and then every time I make the commitment - it stalls. I had so much excitement for this coaster (me being one of the very few Gerstlauer fan-girls) but this unreliability is just getting silly now.
Now, I know enough to not expect a rush-job worlds-first Gerstlauer to instantly run perfectly; that's why I wish they had simply put back the opening date to June/July and ironed out all the bugs first, then at least when The Smiler finally opened - it would stay open. I would much rather be sitting here impatiently waiting for it to open, than sitting here uncertainly wondering if it's worth making the drive again.
Sad to say all this on again / off again is making me lose interest in The Smiler it makes for a very anti-climatic opening of a worlds first roller coaster.
Now, I know enough to not expect a rush-job worlds-first Gerstlauer to instantly run perfectly; that's why I wish they had simply put back the opening date to June/July and ironed out all the bugs first, then at least when The Smiler finally opened - it would stay open. I would much rather be sitting here impatiently waiting for it to open, than sitting here uncertainly wondering if it's worth making the drive again.
Sad to say all this on again / off again is making me lose interest in The Smiler
it makes for a very anti-climatic opening of a worlds first roller coaster.
owentaylor121
Giga Poster
I'm hopefully going on it this Saturday if the ride isn't going to stall again. If it does I can just revalidate my tickets for another day. I just see it like that.
Crazycoaster
Giga Poster
I went on it Tuesday, opened at about 10.20ish, and I was off by 10.40.
It then had pretty much a 2 1/2 hour queue, but went on it again via single rider later in the day, so I've only got a count of 2, which means my opinion isn't properly formed on what I think of the ride yet. Overall though, I think it's a winner.
The surroundings of the ride seem much cheaper in photos than they do in real life, and I think it fits really well into Xfactor, the theme works incredibly well and the ride gives the area a much needed freshening up. Plus, when the ride is up and running properly with a constant stream of trains, it's hugely entertaining to watch.
I actually loved the basic nature of the queue line, with its occasional wall writing and features. Being caged in was such a good idea, and you get some really great angles of the coaster for most of the queue.
(Shh.. Don't judge my previous statement by the angle of this photo)
The inside section was weird, but whatever. Basic use of wall mapping, the sound effects used in the dark part were pretty cool though. The station's pretty basic..
Having said that, I only went through the normal queue once, and I walked through most of the queue without pause. I have yet to experience it as a normal queue, so my mind may be changed on that front. Standing outside in the single rider queue however, the constant trains zooming around and the Inoculator kept it interesting.
(This thing was pretty ace)
I really loved the theme song, it's the first Merlin one that has any substance.
Thirteen's is dull.. just some bird counting and the occasional squelch noise..
Swarm's is just guns firing with a segment of that song,
and Saw's is.. well I can't even remember that (even though I've queued for it for hours).
The Smiler's theme is catchy, it's cheesy yet sinister and I think it works really well.
Onto the ride itself..
If someone had told me after Thirteen was made that the next coaster was gunna be a double lift hill 14 inversion coaster on the site of the Black Hole I would have laughed in their faces. The fact that this ride is compacted into such a tiny space and has SO much going on is just incredible.
It's the only UK coaster built in the last 19 years over 3,000 foot long, and is one of only 3 coasters operating in the UK over 3,500. If you think about that it's incredible what they've achieved in the space that was previously the Black Hole.
And it's a fun ride too. It's not the most forceful of coasters, but still its fun. And I think it'll be a winner for years to come, purely for the huge amount of close calls. It has so much going on, the more you ride it, the more I think people will appreciate things like the Inoculator. I think close calls on coasters are some of the most underutilised aspects, and provide the highlight of many of my top coasters. And the Smiler has a lot of those.
With this being said and all, It's still a Gler, and some of the trackwork suffers because of it, namely three places I noticed:
- Just after the inline twist on the first drop there is a noticeable jerk
- As mentioned by others the second half of the cobra roll
- The heartline roll right after the Cobra
I think these areas suffer because of the limitations of having to shove all of the layout into that space. The first drop (straight after the lift hill) has such strange shaping to it, and it looks like they had to build it 'around' the other drop. It seems like the designers had a talk that, I imagine, went a bit like this:
"Ohh, the first drop is too close to the inline"
"hmm.. well just push this bit a bit higher and to the left.."
Either that or it's the heartline, but it's deff strangely shaped:
(See?! Weird.)
On my first ride I got an amazing duel through the first half of the ride, the train on the latter half got off the lift just after ours and provided a great view when going through the second half of the batwing and then as it did the zero g over the brakes. I think the fact that the trains ARN'T planned to duel is a good thing to be honest, as it mixes it up more. If they did come off of the lift at the same time every time, some of the random near misses you get with the other train wouldn't happen. But then again it does look amazing when it duels, so I'm happy when it lines up too.
(Yaaaay Smiler)
I loved walking off the ride, the corridors following the bag drop are pretty cool, and they should have had this in the inside section rather than the random wall mapping. And it's nice to finally have a REAL store. GO AWAY FOREVER SHIPPING CONTAINERS. I couldn't quite figure out the point of the glass floor near the exit though, does the ride actually go under it at all? I couldn't tell..
But all in all, Alton have finally made a worthwhile solid addition to their line up, and now they have 4 decent iconic rides (Rita and Thirteen and their scaffolding can leave). So go ride it!
Random final note, what's up with the fab random rainbow exit stairs for no apparent reason?!
It then had pretty much a 2 1/2 hour queue, but went on it again via single rider later in the day, so I've only got a count of 2, which means my opinion isn't properly formed on what I think of the ride yet. Overall though, I think it's a winner.
The surroundings of the ride seem much cheaper in photos than they do in real life, and I think it fits really well into Xfactor, the theme works incredibly well and the ride gives the area a much needed freshening up. Plus, when the ride is up and running properly with a constant stream of trains, it's hugely entertaining to watch.
I actually loved the basic nature of the queue line, with its occasional wall writing and features. Being caged in was such a good idea, and you get some really great angles of the coaster for most of the queue.
(Shh.. Don't judge my previous statement by the angle of this photo)
The inside section was weird, but whatever. Basic use of wall mapping, the sound effects used in the dark part were pretty cool though. The station's pretty basic..
Having said that, I only went through the normal queue once, and I walked through most of the queue without pause. I have yet to experience it as a normal queue, so my mind may be changed on that front. Standing outside in the single rider queue however, the constant trains zooming around and the Inoculator kept it interesting.
(This thing was pretty ace)
I really loved the theme song, it's the first Merlin one that has any substance.
Thirteen's is dull.. just some bird counting and the occasional squelch noise..
Swarm's is just guns firing with a segment of that song,
and Saw's is.. well I can't even remember that (even though I've queued for it for hours).
The Smiler's theme is catchy, it's cheesy yet sinister and I think it works really well.
Onto the ride itself..
If someone had told me after Thirteen was made that the next coaster was gunna be a double lift hill 14 inversion coaster on the site of the Black Hole I would have laughed in their faces. The fact that this ride is compacted into such a tiny space and has SO much going on is just incredible.
It's the only UK coaster built in the last 19 years over 3,000 foot long, and is one of only 3 coasters operating in the UK over 3,500. If you think about that it's incredible what they've achieved in the space that was previously the Black Hole.
And it's a fun ride too. It's not the most forceful of coasters, but still its fun. And I think it'll be a winner for years to come, purely for the huge amount of close calls. It has so much going on, the more you ride it, the more I think people will appreciate things like the Inoculator. I think close calls on coasters are some of the most underutilised aspects, and provide the highlight of many of my top coasters. And the Smiler has a lot of those.
With this being said and all, It's still a Gler, and some of the trackwork suffers because of it, namely three places I noticed:
- Just after the inline twist on the first drop there is a noticeable jerk
- As mentioned by others the second half of the cobra roll
- The heartline roll right after the Cobra
I think these areas suffer because of the limitations of having to shove all of the layout into that space. The first drop (straight after the lift hill) has such strange shaping to it, and it looks like they had to build it 'around' the other drop. It seems like the designers had a talk that, I imagine, went a bit like this:
"Ohh, the first drop is too close to the inline"
"hmm.. well just push this bit a bit higher and to the left.."
Either that or it's the heartline, but it's deff strangely shaped:
(See?! Weird.)
On my first ride I got an amazing duel through the first half of the ride, the train on the latter half got off the lift just after ours and provided a great view when going through the second half of the batwing and then as it did the zero g over the brakes. I think the fact that the trains ARN'T planned to duel is a good thing to be honest, as it mixes it up more. If they did come off of the lift at the same time every time, some of the random near misses you get with the other train wouldn't happen. But then again it does look amazing when it duels, so I'm happy when it lines up too.
(Yaaaay Smiler)
I loved walking off the ride, the corridors following the bag drop are pretty cool, and they should have had this in the inside section rather than the random wall mapping. And it's nice to finally have a REAL store. GO AWAY FOREVER SHIPPING CONTAINERS. I couldn't quite figure out the point of the glass floor near the exit though, does the ride actually go under it at all? I couldn't tell..
But all in all, Alton have finally made a worthwhile solid addition to their line up, and now they have 4 decent iconic rides (Rita and Thirteen and their scaffolding can leave). So go ride it!
Random final note, what's up with the fab random rainbow exit stairs for no apparent reason?!
caffeine_demon
Strata Poster
I rode 4 times last saturday, and have to say I loved it!
The look is stunning, and the LED screen is a stroke of genius! I liked the indoor projections too.
the indoor drop and roll are nicely executed, as are the two swerving drops (I'd ride those all day - such a lovely feeling!), even the couple of neck choppers don't detract too much (although part 1 is better than part 2)
basically, It's a winner!!
The look is stunning, and the LED screen is a stroke of genius! I liked the indoor projections too.
the indoor drop and roll are nicely executed, as are the two swerving drops (I'd ride those all day - such a lovely feeling!), even the couple of neck choppers don't detract too much (although part 1 is better than part 2)
basically, It's a winner!!
sparky2u
Mega Poster
Martyn B said:
Keep a check on this page as it shows the Q times, at the moment "Smiler" is 120 mins wait, join the single rider Q if you don't mind who you sit next to as there may be less of a wait.
http://ridetimes.co.uk/
Nemesis of oblivion
Strata Poster
Mmm, Oblivion has been closed for nearly 3 days now. Wonder what's wrong with the poor girl.
owentaylor121
Giga Poster
I rode this yesterday, I will have my full review to follow shortly, but I will say this ride has shot to my NO.1 spot! It's incredible.
sparky2u
Mega Poster
Just in time for my visit this Thurs:
With regards to the Fastrack, TowersTimes have approached Liz Greenwood, Alton Towers Resort's Corporate Communications Manager, who kindly informed us of the following:
"We have introduced very limited numbers of Fastracks for The Smiler to help us manage the queue line more effectively – ie, by opening the Fastrack line we can take some people out of the overflow area. We’re very much reviewing it on a daily basis to ensure we get the balance right."
- See more at: http://old.towerstimes.co.uk/news/news. ... RP9NK.dpuf
With regards to the Fastrack, TowersTimes have approached Liz Greenwood, Alton Towers Resort's Corporate Communications Manager, who kindly informed us of the following:
"We have introduced very limited numbers of Fastracks for The Smiler to help us manage the queue line more effectively – ie, by opening the Fastrack line we can take some people out of the overflow area. We’re very much reviewing it on a daily basis to ensure we get the balance right."
- See more at: http://old.towerstimes.co.uk/news/news. ... RP9NK.dpuf
SaiyanHajime
CF Legend
BS. It's to make money, fastrack actually makes it worse.
Tbh if I've driven 5 hours I would pay it to get on the coaster and spend the rest of the day riding other stuff.
The last thing I want to do is stand in a queue for 3 hours.
Yes it's giving them more money but on a pass or 241 it's ok.
Yes I wish it was free but it's not
Yes fast track adds time to a queue but it would be time I would have to wait not using it. I just cannot be bothered standing in a 3 hour queue for what most have said is an average coaster. I would need to go to the loo by the time I got on it and would not enjoy it lol.
The last thing I want to do is stand in a queue for 3 hours.
Yes it's giving them more money but on a pass or 241 it's ok.
Yes I wish it was free but it's not
Yes fast track adds time to a queue but it would be time I would have to wait not using it. I just cannot be bothered standing in a 3 hour queue for what most have said is an average coaster. I would need to go to the loo by the time I got on it and would not enjoy it lol.
