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This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks. - Thread starter AstroDan
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Opening Hours: A comparison around the UK and Europe
AstroDan
TS Team
But this is the issue.
A theme park should not simply be about rollercoasters alone.
Alton Towers has become so polarised!
There's big rollercoasters for those aged 13+ (with some exceptions of course, Th13teen and the proposed GCI will no doubt trickle down slightly from 13 towards 9/10), and then there's heaps of rides for toddlers and infants under 5.
But for families and anybody older who doesn't just want to be on fast coasters all day, Alton Towers literally has only rides you can count on one hand... (Duel, RMT, Rapids, Hex, Spinball...(but even Spinball is quite intense, really)) of really any substance. Marauders and Blade are OK but Blade in particular is so clapped out.
There are no shows of note either, so that side of things is inadequate. And the ruins are closed most of the year now. Whilst a lot of the gardening team have been made redundant.
There are so few rides. So little entertainment. So little high quality dining. So few events. So little... ANYTHING at the moment.
A theme park should not simply be about rollercoasters alone.
Alton Towers has become so polarised!
There's big rollercoasters for those aged 13+ (with some exceptions of course, Th13teen and the proposed GCI will no doubt trickle down slightly from 13 towards 9/10), and then there's heaps of rides for toddlers and infants under 5.
But for families and anybody older who doesn't just want to be on fast coasters all day, Alton Towers literally has only rides you can count on one hand... (Duel, RMT, Rapids, Hex, Spinball...(but even Spinball is quite intense, really)) of really any substance. Marauders and Blade are OK but Blade in particular is so clapped out.
There are no shows of note either, so that side of things is inadequate. And the ruins are closed most of the year now. Whilst a lot of the gardening team have been made redundant.
There are so few rides. So little entertainment. So little high quality dining. So few events. So little... ANYTHING at the moment.
jon81uk
TS Member
This is also why I rarely go to Thorpe Park as the only thing worth doing that isn't intense are dodgems. I don't want to just ride coasters. Had the same issue at Six Flags Magic Mountain where we didn't know what to ride on a full stomach. At least Busch Gardens Tampa has animals to look at as well as coasters and kids rides.
Error
TS Member
Valhalla is offended.
Valhalla is overrated, yes I said it...what ya gonna do?
AstroDan
TS Team
Valhalla is indeed overrated.
Very good it may be, but such is the scale of the ride, BPB can barely manage to keep all of it working. I don't particularly blame them, but it's far too ambitious to actually keep running properly.
People excuse the corrugated metal rooves, the failing effects and the exposed backstage areas far too easily on that ride!
However, it's still a good attraction and unique in the UK.
Very good it may be, but such is the scale of the ride, BPB can barely manage to keep all of it working. I don't particularly blame them, but it's far too ambitious to actually keep running properly.
People excuse the corrugated metal rooves, the failing effects and the exposed backstage areas far too easily on that ride!
However, it's still a good attraction and unique in the UK.
PeteB
TS Member
What is actually ambitious? It's a nice ride but I don't see any vastly complicated effects.
I'm unfortunately not as familiar with every intriciate detail of Blackpool's rides as I am with Towers.
The number of mechanical parts, combined with all that water, gas and electricity, and all those safety sensors means the ride suffers repeat (usually brief) stoppages.
The snow room is difficult to keep at a low temperature on warm days (admittedly rare on the Lancashire coast), and then there are the schoolkids who want to do the "Swim all the way round" challenge.
As a big Pleasure Beach fan, I can only agree with most of the above and say it is overrated, though it is a good ride when all the effects work, dropping down into the ring of fire on the last drop is amazing, when it works, and when the whole boat is singing the correct Johnny Cash song!
The snow room is difficult to keep at a low temperature on warm days (admittedly rare on the Lancashire coast), and then there are the schoolkids who want to do the "Swim all the way round" challenge.
As a big Pleasure Beach fan, I can only agree with most of the above and say it is overrated, though it is a good ride when all the effects work, dropping down into the ring of fire on the last drop is amazing, when it works, and when the whole boat is singing the correct Johnny Cash song!
PeteB
TS Member
Well I've been on Valhalla a fair amount, from when it was new to present day, and I've never once seen the boat go through a ring of fire.
Learn something new every day.
Apart from last year, I do BPB roughly weekly through the season, when rained off from work.
I only do Valhalla on milder days, so roughly a dozen times a year, and I'd say the ring of fire (arch really) works about one time in ten. It is an arch about five metres after the bottom of the last drop, and the water splash really does seem to put the fire out, a very good effect.
Something for you to look forward to in future visits Pete.
If I got my way I would pull it down and put the FunHouse back in.
That was real fun after a couple of beers on a rainy day.
I only do Valhalla on milder days, so roughly a dozen times a year, and I'd say the ring of fire (arch really) works about one time in ten. It is an arch about five metres after the bottom of the last drop, and the water splash really does seem to put the fire out, a very good effect.
Something for you to look forward to in future visits Pete.
If I got my way I would pull it down and put the FunHouse back in.
That was real fun after a couple of beers on a rainy day.
MakoMania
TS Member
Personally I don't think Valhalla is overrated at all, I absolutely love it! Sure not every effect works all the time but the sheer scale of the attraction and the amount of effects and theming make it the best dark ride in the UK by a long way in my opinion. The soundtrack is brilliant as well, although some speakers could do with replacing. I'm still yet to see/experience a water ride that's better than it!
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AstroDan
TS Team
Hex is indeed better. Not because of the ride, but because it's a complete experience which doesn't give you a moment out of it from queue entry to ride exit. In fact, Hex is pretty much the only dark ride built in the UK in the last 30 years which remains so good.
In theory of course, Valhalla is but people excuse the state of the ride all too easily.
It's also too wet for the climate.
Don't get me wrong it's brilliant in theory, but you know... There's no other dark ride which wins such plaudits that would get away with what Valhalla gets away with.
Anyway, I'm a team member and assisting this wildly off topic discussion... we should reign it back in!
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In theory of course, Valhalla is but people excuse the state of the ride all too easily.
It's also too wet for the climate.
Don't get me wrong it's brilliant in theory, but you know... There's no other dark ride which wins such plaudits that would get away with what Valhalla gets away with.
Anyway, I'm a team member and assisting this wildly off topic discussion... we should reign it back in!
Sent from my SM-G930F using Tapatalk
Well I've been on Valhalla a fair amount, from when it was new to present day, and I've never once seen the boat go through a ring of fire.
Learn something new every day.
You've missed the best part. If my memory serves me correctly, when Valhalla first open, I'm sure it was a smaller circular hoop that has now been replace with a larger rectangular hoop. It's a shame that it now only works 1 out of 10 times. It's a great ride when all the effects are working, but unfortunately, it feels like it is being maintained to the same standards as the ride at Alton.
Not at all if you don a good set of waterproofs
I agree, what has the Valhalla got to do with opening hours comparison around the world????
MakoMania
TS Member
Error
TS Member
That's subject to opinion of course
Anyway, as you say, back on topic!
No, its fact.
MakoMania
TS Member
No, its fact.
You cannot possibly say that, you should be fully aware by now that only Donald Trump and Kellyanne Conway can decide what is classified as a true fact. Are you Donald Trump?
Coaster
TS Member
It's impossible to say that a ride is "better" or "worse" and class it as fact, because there's a wonderful thing called personal opinion.No, its fact.