Theme Park Opening Times 2015

[phildenholm]

Maybe the opening hours are linked to the noise abatement order brought by the neighbours? Seems likely to me. Anyway sorry to dampen the celebration but this is likely to be linked to higher gate prices

 

[Dave]

7pm is about as late as people will stay. Unlike Thorpe and BPPB the nearest major population centres are 40 minutes away and the majority of guests will have a hour + journey.

Scarefest and fireworks offer night riding but you would have to stay open until 10pm to do that in summer.

They need to be more adaptive with closing times so that when it's warm and guests are staying they open later, sometimes last year you had 6pm closes when the park was heaving and guests clearly not wanting to leave and then at times 6pm closes yet the park was dead for 5pm.

 

[TheMan]

Fireworks and Scarefest just proves if enough people know about it in advance people will stay late. They're cold evenings!

It's not a wonder people don't stay, because people don't KNOW. The distance is a factor yes, so let people plan properly.

Tell me if they ran a campaign like Fireworks or Scarefest for a two week late night opening at the end of the summer holidays that people wouldn't plan in advance and stay later.

 

[Dave]

Fireworks and Scarefest just proves if enough people know about it in advance people will stay late. They're cold evenings!

It's not a wonder people don't stay, because people don't KNOW. The distance is a factor yes, so let people plan properly.

Tell me if they ran a campaign like Fireworks or Scarefest for a two week late night opening at the end of the summer holidays that people wouldn't plan in advance and stay later.

They would need to find an angle to sell it, throughout the parks history they have had summer events but never really been able to push past 7pm. Fireworks and Scarefest by their nature are nighttime events so people will stay.

They can't do summer fireworks, night riding is out as a selling point, the club night doesn't fit their image. I don't think its impossible but it's not as easy as you think. The British mentality changes with the seasons, spring and summer is about glorious days outside (or rainy) whereas autumn is all about nighttime festivals (Halloween, Bonfire). Fact is the summer day visitors want to get home and get the BBQ going.

It isn't impossible, they might find a winning formula, but it's not hugely in Towers interest to take the risk.

Maybe one day they will find something that works

 

[TheMan]

but it's not hugely in Towers interest to take the risk.

I completely agree with that, I am definitely not coming from a point of profitability in this particular case, that's shown I think by THORPE charging extra, and I think BPB split the opening times and double charge?

 

[Coaster]

Has Towers ever been open until 8pm in the summer? It was 7pm a few years back but it certainly has never been 8pm in the years I've been going frequently. If they opened until 8pm all summer then between 6pm and 8pm the park would be almost empty more often than not. I'm happy with 6pm as long as they are flexible when to comes to extending opening when there is the demand.

I always find it strange that they don't put the ride closing times on the boards - if they did this then a lot of people would stay later, as currently they don't know when the rides close.
Regardless of whether they have ever been open until 8pm in the summer, they should be.

I completely agree with that, I am definitely not coming from a point of profitability in this particular case, that's shown I think by THORPE charging extra, and I think BPB split the opening times and double charge?

Nope, you can enter BPB at 10am and stay until the park closes, however I believe that they sometimes offer a discounted wristband after a certain time (not all the time though). They certainly don't double charge.

 

[John]

The midnight close at BPB was a separately ticketed event, the park closed entirely at 5pm and reopened at 6pm (though they offered an upgrade for day ticket holders for £10). On all other days a wristband is valid until park close.

 

[Coaster]

The midnight close at BPB was a separately ticketed event, the park closed entirely at 5pm and reopened at 6pm (though they offered an upgrade for day ticket holders for £10). At all other days a wristband is valid until park close.

Yes, sorry I forgot about that, I was talking about the summer but should have mentioned that.

 

[Rob]

I always find it strange that they don't put the ride closing times on the boards - if they did this then a lot of people would stay later, as currently they don't know when the rides close.
Regardless of whether they have ever been open until 8pm in the summer, they should be.

They do that and always have.

 

[jon81uk]

I always find it strange that they don't put the ride closing times on the boards - if they did this then a lot of people would stay later, as currently they don't know when the rides close.
Regardless of whether they have ever been open until 8pm in the summer, they should be.

Ride close time is on a sign at every ride entrance?

 

[Coaster]

I mean the boards at the ride entrance, not the ride queue time boards around the park. I have never seen a ride close sign on the boards - they might put it on the queue time scrollers to be fair, but I haven't ever seen it.


These are the boards I mean - as far as I can remember, not one of them has the ride closing time on it.
(Not my photo, I'm just using it to show what I mean).

 

[jon81uk]

Okay I thought they used to have little analog clocks where the hands showed the ride close time but maybe either the newer rides don't have them or they got ride of them (or I imagined it).

 

[John]

Thorpe and Chessington have those but I don't think they've ever had them at Towers. They do, however, display park opening hours at the main gates and on all queue time boards around the park, and unlike the clocks at Thorpe and Chessington the closing times are usually accurate

 

[thefatone]

7pm in the summer at the UKs premier park? Even that's a joke.

Even sodding Blackpool managed midnight closes.

Doooo theyyyy? They did 8pms this summer, which was frequently reduced to 6pm closes DURING THE DAY whilst there were guests on park. Obviously not reported on here cos noone really visits BPB, but that's an absolutely awful thing to do.

 

[shakey]

Re: Blackpool opening times

Doooo theyyyy?

Yes, the last Saturday of the season 10am to midnight.

They did 8pms this summer, which was frequently reduced to 6pm closes DURING THE DAY whilst there were guests on park. Obviously not reported on here cos noone really visits BPB, but that's an absolutely awful thing to do.

IF that is true then I would have thought that visitors would be entitled to some sort of refund if the park is advertised to shut at 8pm but it then shuts at 6pm.

They definitely stayed open till the advertised 8pm when I visited last year, even though the park became emptier after 7pm.

 

[Coaster]

Doooo theyyyy? They did 8pms this summer, which was frequently reduced to 6pm closes DURING THE DAY whilst there were guests on park. Obviously not reported on here cos noone really visits BPB, but that's an absolutely awful thing to do.

Do you have any evidence for this? As that's very poor.

 

[TheMan]

Yes, the last Saturday of the season 10am to midnight.

IF that is true then I would have thought that visitors would be entitled to some sort of refund if the park is advertised to shut at 8pm but it then shuts at 6pm.

They definitely stayed open till the advertised 8pm when I visited last year, even though the park became emptier after 7pm.

Thank you I was sure I'd heard they did midnight openings last year.

Doooo theyyyy? They did 8pms this summer, which was frequently reduced to 6pm closes DURING THE DAY whilst there were guests on park. Obviously not reported on here cos noone really visits BPB, but that's an absolutely awful thing to do.

That's not entirely true, there's a few BPB fans on here... but I agree with @shakey and @Jamie that that's exceptionally poor if they've done it. I'm not just a Merlin basher, I don't appreciate poor service from any of our parks, if they did that I would imagine it's in T&Cs somewhere but I've not heard a peep about it.

Even so, at their worst they still closed at Alton's best closing bar FW and SF lol

Do you have any evidence for this? As that's very poor.

Agreed, I'd like to see some to see how often this happened, I'm sure it's about somewhere - was it a one off or a regular occurrence because that's poor form if so and I'd be a little surprised by it.

 

[jon81uk]

Also of course at Blackpool they close the queue early so that the ride closes at the close time (we found Grand National closed at 5:45 as park close was 6pm). Whereas Alton Towers close the queue at 6pm but kept The Smiler running until 8pm to clear the queue (of course other rides have shorter queues).

 

[Coaster]

Also of course at Blackpool they close the queue early so that the ride closes at the close time (we found Grand National closed at 5:45 as park close was 6pm). Whereas Alton Towers close the queue at 6pm but kept The Smiler running until 8pm to clear the queue (of course other rides have shorter queues).

I haven't ever found this to be the case either. On all of my visits queues have been kept open until park closing time, even if they have queues to run off. You should have emailed or contacted the park about that because it's very poor.

 

[Slugjc]

im happy about this. I think 6 is a nice time to close, people will naturally leaving by then but it keeps the people who don't want to leave a chance to enjoy the evening. 7 would be ideal, however 6 is ok to me.