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WTF Merlin?

Until the Facebook Outrage happens , I think so.

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And there are rumours of the monorail being next to bite the bullet...
You can book parking online now, but the website advises that it is a fifteen minute walk to the park.
Quite clever really as...
1. It is not a closure in the theme park,
2. It saves staff in both stations (4) and the drivers (2 to 6),
3. They will make a bomb on express parking,
4. They can claim they are making healthier customers with all that exercise.
They will presumably open the Galactica exit at close to make things a bit easier for the poor punters.

Can only say I'm glad I'm going back to Blackpool on my season ticket next year.
 
IF they opened the Galactica exit at the end of the day I'd be OK with this.

If not, urgh, I can't see that going down very well.
 
Urgh really? That would be a real shame. Despite the weird overlay on the windows, it's always a fab and magical start to the day to mince through the park on the monorail before heading into the park. Ffs.
 
Not having the monorail at all would be a real shame. It really helps build up the magic on the approach to the park, and there's scant little of it around the park on a normal day.

On quieter days it's not such a big loss to keep it closed, but on busy days it's a really useful ride to not only transport guests to the park, but also control the crowd who choose not to walk.
 
I don't mind walking except that it's not an interesting walk and the path isn't especially comfortable. If they were to do some proper landscaping it might be an acceptable alternative (for some).

But generally, with shorter opening times and even fewer rides than 2016 visitors are going to wonder what the offer is. Why pay more to get even less? Once a park goes down this route it's hard to turn it around.
 
I'm hoping this will just be a temporary thing for this year's season, ready for a big relaunch and marketing push in 2018 with the opening of SW8.
 
It's of a similar vein to that of Safari Skyway, although that was removed due to Safety it's down to cost. Maintenance and Operational costs on it are massive. That and Towers costs a bomb to run. It makes Merlin very small amounts in the grand scheme of things. Chessington is the cash cow.
 
I don't mind the monorail being not in operation, but I can imagine the GP will be quite annoyed by that.
As for shorter opening times, I assume they couldn't justify two closed days during the week anymore, yet still had to compensate for that somehow.
 
I hope those opening times are just weekdays and/or low season, otherwise that's pathetic... I think it's safe to assume last year was as unprofitable as 2015 for them!
 
F**k the monorail if those opening times are true. 6 hours for one of the world's biggest parks - both in terms of physical size and reputation - is a f**king disgrace. But everyone's focusing on the monorail, so that tactic has clearly worked as a distraction from the much bigger issue.
 
Yeah, wait, Gavin is right. The opening hours are the real disgrace here.

I was planning on going back to Alton at some point this year, but with even less on offer and even less time to enjoy the park, I'm struggling to see the point...
 
What an awful decision to cut operating hours. The park seems to be in a spiral of decline at the moment and this move won't help customers to linger and spend money.
I'm not a lazy arse - I like walking - but I always get the monorail as it's usually quicker and starts the day off with a bit of excitement as you see the whole park laid out before you enter. With the reduced opening times and having to spend 20mins walking from the car park...no. Just no.
 
mouse said:
I'm hoping this will just be a temporary thing for this year's season, ready for a big relaunch and marketing push in 2018 with the opening of SW8.
Click to expand...
We thought that in 2016 though, and I've not seen that any of the rides that have been SBNO all season will be re-opening. As has been said before, they're expecting visitors to pay more for less, and as much as we might occasionally mock the intelligence of the average visitor, it's really not going to take them long to catch onto this.
I live 30 miles from Alton, and I've been a die-hard fan since I was 12 - but last year, I let the annual pass run out and this year, I'll be surprised if I visit more than once and will probably altogether avoid the Southern Merlin parks which seem to be continuing their slide from bad to worse to utterly woeful. Equally, whilst it may be easier to say that closing on 4:30 on a dead weekday makes economic sense, the peakday opening hours are little better, especially when compared to what we expect on the continent!

These cuts set in long before the Smiler debacle, and I really don't see how they can expect to see any return, when management are putting in less and less themselves with each passing season. It was sad enough looking on as Merlin killed Chessington, but when it's the best theme park we've got over here, I can hardly stand to watch...
 
I've always been puzzled by the teatime closing anyway. Sure it will cost more to staff the place after 6pm but that could be offset by food places (especially around the exit - and just simple restaurants, not gimmicky). People staying longer should be spending more in the park, so income goes up (or, at least, not hit too much). Plus traffic congestion would be eased, making a better day out all round.

Maybe they want everyone to have 2-day stays in the hotel but what is there to do from 4.30 stuck there?
 
If they were a smaller, independent park which was genuinely struggling with its finances, I'd understand. But for a park like Alton, austerity measures will never work.

4:30 closing is pitiful. Let's also not forget the majority of attractions in the last few years have been upcharges...

The problem is that you can't put a monetary value on customer satisfaction and as soon as parks forget that and massively prioritise their profits, decline is inevitable. Sure, the monorail is a bit unnecessary - after all, all it does is lose the park money. But with little changes like that, they're slowly losing their repeat customers. When I last went in 2013 with Tesco vouchers, I still felt I was being ripped off.

Isn't the whole point of chain ownership that other parks can absorb the losses of the others? It's time for Merlin to sell Alton or Thorpe. Their monopoly has lasted too long and done too much damage.

I really want 2018 to be the next 1994, but honestly, I think Alton will let us down.
 
Nah, I'm done with the place. Not going this year. If it wasn't for the Fireworks and Faff Finale, I wouldn't have gone last year either.
Sh*thole.
 
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