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"Danger of Death"

They're in the business of leisure and entertainment but can't seem to be bothered to do much more that bare minimum. Look at the money places like Disney, Universal, Efteling, Phantasialand et al. bring in on the back of big investments that they maintain over a long period of time.
 
They're in the business of leisure and entertainment but can't seem to be bothered to do much more that bare minimum. Look at the money places like Disney, Universal, Efteling, Phantasialand et al. bring in on the back of big investments that they maintain over a long period of time.
That seems to be a UK problem these day rather than a Alton problem.

Ash
 
Just out of interest, how many of you guys own property?

You must bankrupt yourselves doing all sorts to your houses. There's plenty of jobs that would be nice to do in my home, but instead the bank balance wins. Always.

Yes, but the chances are you probably don't charge members of the public to enter your house, so it's not really an issue. Alton Towers on the other hand expect guests to pay over £50 for what's marketed as the UK's premier theme park experience. In that situation, permanently fixing something with undisguised scaffolding in what's supposed to be an immersive themed environment isn't really acceptable. Particularly not when guests walk directly beneath it.

If you went to a 5 star hotel, found scaffolding holding up the ceiling and they justified it with "well, fixing it costs money" would that be okay?

The relatively miniscule cost of installing an alternative to the scaffolding shouldn't even be the issue. They should want to do it because it looks a mess. Is it too much to expect that park owners take pride in their attraction?
 
@CGM It blows my mind how much you get wound up about stuff like this. This is why I can only exist on the fringe of the enthusiast community, I just don't get it. I can't worry about scaffolding. Also, at the risk of repeating myself - I don't many people in the crowd really care, either.

Perhaps it's because I don't ever get the 'immersion', or rarely. The only park that has made me forget that I was in a theme park is DisneySea. I know I am at Alton Towers when I'm in The Dark Forest, scaffolding or no scaffolding - there are about a billion other things that kill any kind of immersion.
 
I know I am at Alton Towers when I'm in The Dark Forest, scaffolding or no scaffolding - there are about a billion other things that kill any kind of immersion.
There are so many things that kill immersion in dark forest. To fix it there is only thing they can do (without the use of explosives) and that is fix each individual problem like removing the scaffolding.

I don't many people in the crowd really care, either.
Not true. When I went a while ago I heard some people say "is that scaffolding meant to be there. It doesn't look safe." Not good after an incident that already makes people believe that it isn't safe.
 
Well clearly they do in some capacity or there wouldn't be hundreds of thousands of people paying thousands of pounds to fly across the Atlantic to visit Disney and Universal.
You clarified your own point, it's a very different market. In the UK, the Disney & Universal parks cater for a specific market and the trips to these parks are often on a once in a lifetime, or once in a generation visit schedule.

The UK Merlin parks are primarily regional parks that are currently undergoing a transformation to a more resort function - but not an international one. They're primarily for day trips and the Annual Pass programme incentivises multiple single day trips over the course of 12 months. IOA pulled 8 million visitors last year, Alton may do a quarter of that this year and a third when things are ticking over as normal.

If you want to make a fair comparison, take a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park - lets compare theming with those and Alton? That would take all of five seconds.

Next topic, your Nissan Micra is slower than someone's Audi A3?
 
@CGM It blows my mind how much you get wound up about stuff like this. This is why I can only exist on the fringe of the enthusiast community, I just don't get it. I can't worry about scaffolding. Also, at the risk of repeating myself - I don't many people in the crowd really care, either.

Perhaps it's because I don't ever get the 'immersion', or rarely. The only park that has made me forget that I was in a theme park is DisneySea. I know I am at Alton Towers when I'm in The Dark Forest, scaffolding or no scaffolding - there are about a billion other things that kill any kind of immersion.

This is the point CGM is making though, its a THEME park, of course that kind of thing matters, its part of the deal. If this were an amusement park where you take a paved area and cover it with as many unthemed randomly placed rides you can find, thats fine. However Alton Towers sell them selves as a theme park, and like to think they are above the likes of BPB, and this kind of attitude doesn't go with that model, just like bath tubs (rather than logs) floating down a woodland river doesnt work, and driving a drag strip through a prehistoric land was laughable. This is where the park lets itself down, and people are right to notice.

Ash
 
@Ash84 I think you need to define "people" though, you can't throw the bulk of visitors and coaster nerds into the same bracket, the thought processes and attention to nonsensical things and worlds apart.
 
@Ash84 I think you need to define "people" though, you can't throw the bulk of visitors and coaster nerds into the same bracket, the thought processes and attention to nonsensical things and worlds apart.

I think its fair to say that a percentage of both populations (coaster buffs and Joe Public) will notice this as a fail, the greater percent will be the coaster buffs no doubt, but as Leah has already said, the public (non-enthusiasts) also pick up on it.

Ash
 
I think its fair to say that a percentage of both populations (coaster buffs and Joe Public) will notice this as a fail, the greater percent will be the coaster buffs no doubt, but as Leah has already said, the public (non-enthusiasts) also pick up on it.
I'm sure some do, but I'm not convinced there are enough scaffolding haters among Joe Public to really make a difference, will they stop visiting the park? I doubt it. That's what it comes down to, of course - whether coaster enthusiasts like it or not.

God forbid they ride Th13teen with its oodles of scaffolding.
 
You clarified your own point, it's a very different market. In the UK, the Disney & Universal parks cater for a specific market and the trips to these parks are often on a once in a lifetime, or once in a generation visit schedule.

The UK Merlin parks are primarily regional parks that are currently undergoing a transformation to a more resort function - but not an international one. They're primarily for day trips and the Annual Pass programme incentivises multiple single day trips over the course of 12 months. IOA pulled 8 million visitors last year, Alton may do a quarter of that this year and a third when things are ticking over as normal.

If you want to make a fair comparison, take a Six Flags or Cedar Fair park - lets compare theming with those and Alton? That would take all of five seconds.

Next topic, your Nissan Micra is slower than someone's Audi A3?

My point wasn't that Alton should be comparable to Disney and Universal. It was that people in general do care about theming and overall experience or they wouldn't bother making the effort of going to Florida. It's not as if the rides on their own are significantly more thrilling or exciting than the rides we have here. It's the extra effort that goes into the theming and special effects that makes all the difference.

Anyway, I don't actually believe that all parks should be intricately themed sensory overloads. Some of my favourite parks have little to no theming. But I still expect these places to be well maintained and look in some way presentable. Theme parks should be nice places to be or else why should you pay to be there?
 
I'm sure some do, but I'm not convinced there are enough scaffolding haters among Joe Public to really make a difference, will they stop visiting the park? I doubt it. That's what it comes down to, of course - whether coaster enthusiasts like it or not.

God forbid they ride Th13teen with its oodles of scaffolding.

They may or may not stop visiting, but its not doing them any favours when comments are being made suggesting that a section of a ride doesn't look safe, given this years events. Sure, we are talking about the vast minority, but for the park who spent millions on digging the pit for Nemesis, and the hole for Oblivion, both of which represented a sense of pride in the rides presentation, to turn around and leave that looking as it does is nothing short of a lazy embarrassment.

Ash
 
I was at the park over the weekend and was disappointed to see the unecessary new fences in Katanga Canyon.

Very sad.
 
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All that talk of "it's because it's the UK" or "it's because of Health and Safety" etc. You only have to visit Merlin's other UK parks, as I have done in the past week, to realise how full of sh** Alton Towers actually are.

No "Danger of Death" signs at Thorpe. No ridiculous fences doubled up on top of each other. No scaffolding mess under Stealth.

We even struggled to find an outlet selling Fastrack tickets as Swarm was only running 1 train and had a 60 minute queue. Not at Towers though, it's shoved down your throat at every possible opportunity.

Pretty much anything and everything that looks stupid at Towers can only be found at Towers. Moronic management issue, as always.
 
Speaking for myself, when I mentioned the UK, I was referring to a somewhat lazy approach to theme a ride or area, (ie the scaffolding) as nothing over here seems to remain working or in tip top condition for long. Valhalla is a joke, X is seeing lights not working as they should, saws dead body only fire water when they want it to ect.

Ash
 
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