2013 has been a very busy year for Alton Towers, and TowersStreet have been bringing you all the latest news from the Resort. Take a step back in time for our second 2013 roundup, where we remind ourselves of what happened between April and June…
April
The start of April saw planning permission being denied for the new fencing in the gardens. It was deemed that the fencing would cause “significant harm” to the appreciation of the gardens, would interrupt views, and would also cause damage to the listed materials. However, two applications made at the same time for fencing in other areas were approved with conditions. This includes upgraded fencing in front of the Towers themselves, the Splash Battle (Battle Galleons) lake, the bridge and damn and the white bridge between Battle Galleons and the Towers, the lower gardens surrounding the lake within the gardens, and finally the ‘gothic prospect tower’ within the gardens.
In Smiler news, John Wardley took to the airways at the end of April to announce that The Smiler would have ‘more inversions than any other roller coaster in the world’. The end of April also saw one of the final milestones in the construction of The Smiler, with the final piece of the rides 1170 metres of track being put into place. The top of the first lift hill was lifted and bolted into place on Wednesday 24th April. At the time an official opening date hadn’t been set, but was rumored to be May 18th.
The popular scaremaze The Sanctuary also closed it’s doors on Sunday 14th April, however not for long, as it reopened once again in October for Scarefest.
May
The month of May was (almost!) all about The Smiler, with everything from trains arriving on-site, to a further delayed opening. In the TowersStreet round-up of events, we reported that trains were craned onto the site on 2nd May, and also that track modifications were being made to ensure a smooth ride.
A four-part set of viral videos was released, entitled “Smile. Always”, following the story of Miles Cedars and some undercover documentary filming featuring Dr Kelman… Part One, Part Two, Part Three and Part Four are all available to watch on YouTube.
The 8th May saw Alton Towers Resort announce the first confirmed opening date for The Smiler, which was to be a midweek 23rd May.
It was on 9th May that the world was finally told of The Smiler’s record breaking 14 inversions, with a Youtube video released by Alton Towers Resort showing The Smiler at night with smoke and light effects. The Guinness Book of Records were also on hand to certify the new investment’s claim to fame.
Taking a break from The Smiler came the disappointing news that a planning application for the Lodge Development had been withdrawn. The official statement from the Resort simply cited not wanting to pursue this type of accommodation at this time.
Back to The Smiler, and the anticipated 23rd May opening was delayed with just 20 hours to go, with the official website stating ‘unforeseen teething problems’. After missing this date, there were no other announcements or confirmations for an opening date. The next week was met with serious disappointment from budding advocates the world over, as the days ticked by without the new ride opening. With a May opening having been slated for months, Alton Towers worked tirelessly to iron things out, and rumours of The Smiler opening were rife on 30th May.
Roll on 31st May and the day arrived! 
The Smiler opened to guests for the first time, and quickly attracted a 2 hour+ queue that would be seen on most days right until the end of the season. Extra queueline barriers wound their way up X-Sector and along the front of the ruins, holding excited advocates before their journey to marmalisation.
Reviews started to pile in, with the verdict that The Smiler was disorientating, exhilarating and well worth the wait!
June
After celebrating the opening of The Smiler came a small victory for TowersStreet – our first birthday! June 11th saw the first anniversary of TowersStreet’s launch (from a very short life as Project Aurora), and we had our amazing community to thank for their ongoing support right through from what was a very challenging June of 2012. We’d like to take this opportunity to once again thank you, the reader, for your time and support!
Another important birthday was that of Splash Landings and Cariba Creek (Alton Towers Waterpark) – 10 years in June 2013! A large cake was placed in the car park of Splash Landings to mark the occasion.
After the significant problems with The Smiler, it’s closest neighbour Enterprise came out in sympathy, being closed for a 6 week stint in June through July, with the entire ride being taken apart and rebuilt to return it to working order. Technical problems seemed to be catching on the other side of The Smiler, with Oblivion experiencing an almost three week down-time period during June and early July.
The opening of The Smiler wasn’t all smooth sailing, with the ride stalling on two occasions and the train being sat at the bottom of the Staffordshire Knot, needing to be craned off the track.
In a small but important occurrence, the Ruins re-opened on 13th June after their closure in October 2012 for Terror of the Towers and The Sanctuary scare mazes through Scarefest, and The Sanctuary at the start of the season. By contrast on that day, both The Smiler and Oblivion sustained significant downtime!
The latest addition to the park’s entertainment department, The Park Keepers, took delivery of their new vehicle during June. Fully equipped with loud speakers, The Park Keepers are able to roam the park and blast out songs to amused guests.
The heart of the season gave us the opening of the world’s first 14 looping coaster, but not without an emotional rollercoaster to go along with it! Delayed opening, technical problems and extensive queues; most advocates say it’s all worth it for a chance to be Marmalised! Remember… Smile. Always.
Stick with us here at TowersStreet as we revisit the final five months of 2013, summarising the events of the season. We hope to bring you more exciting news during 2014! Why not reminisce about our past news stories on our popular TowersStreet Talk forum.
