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2018: Park Operations & Ride Availability

rob666 said:
The queuetimes were far worse yesterday morning, it is impossible to get round all the major rides anymore without queuejumping passes...which I am sure was Merlins intention.
Things won't improve over schools weeks then the holidays with all the new season pass holders looking to get value out of their passes.
Glad I didn't get a cheap pass this year..give me a nice short Icon queue any day of the week.
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Again fastpass sales are a short term ill gotten gain. Visitors won't return if they've had a bad day or couldn't get on rides due to staggered openings, queues and ludicrous park closing times. Merlin seem to be too focused on figures and not the big picture.
 
I thought Towers said hours are flexible and if it’s busy they’ll stay open

If those queue times aren’t long enough for Towers management to extend hours just how busy does it need to be?
 
This has got to be the worse year for ride operations and operating time that I've seen in all the years that I've been visiting the park in the last 30+ years. As long as Merlin are lining their pockets with Alton selling fast track tickets and making a profit, then Merlin don't give too hoots whether people visitors are having a great time or not, whether you manage to get on all the rides or not, whether you have been queuing for an hour or two per ride or not.

Gate numbers are no longer relevant to the profits of the company, it's more to do with profit margins and sales of fast track tickets.

Reading through the reviews on Facebook and Trip Adviser and it's very mixed. Plenty of dissatisfied guest, but also plenty of people also having a great visit.

They may lose customers next year as a result of the cuts, but this will all be balanced out with more cuts and the lack of customers will mean more ride time for those that do decide to return next year. At the end of the day, to Merlin, it's all about profit margins and not the gate numbers.

As long as Merlin are up in profit at the end of the year regardless of customer satisfaction, they will deem this year as a success with more cuts to follow
 
I was there last Saturday and overall I'd say we had a goodday but we only managed to do the majors plus the Rapids. We all agreed next time we go we'd just get a fast pass (which I hate the thought of us and them but it's the only way to have a day that isn't completely rushed). There's lesser rides I'd have still liked to go on (RMT, Whizzer) but it's just not possible, and it's nice to be able to just take your time a bit more which a fastpass enables.

Also queuing for car park tokens to then queue to leave the car park really puts a shitter on the day where you've just spent all day queuing.
 
mikeroller said:
I was there last Saturday and overall I'd say we had a goodday but we only managed to do the majors plus the Rapids. We all agreed next time we go we'd just get a fast pass
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This is exactly why we won't see thing improve in the foreseeable future. If you visit an attraction, you are expected to be able to experience all the attractions at least one in your visit without rushing around. Fast tracks only saves you 10 minutes of queuing time. If the main queue lines are busy, then so are also the fast track queue lines and don't forget what little time you save in the ride queue lines will be lost by queuing up at guest services to get your fast track tickets in the first place.

It's a catch 22. The more people that purchase fast track, the more Merlin will cut the budgets, the more Merlin cuts the budget, the more people will purchase fast track due to the horrendous queue lines due to poor ride operations. Purchasing Fast tracks is not solving the problem, it's only just adding to it.
 
RoyJess said:
It's a catch 22. The more people that purchase fast track, the more Merlin will cut the budgets, the more Merlin cuts the budget, the more people will purchase fast track due to the horrendous queue lines due to poor ride operations. Purchasing Fast tracks is not solving the problem, it's only just adding to it.
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Sorry, I'm not following. Why do budgets get cut on the back of increased revenue?
 
Rick said:
Sorry, I'm not following. Why do budgets get cut on the back of increased revenue?
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It's all to do with profit margins.

Cutting the budgets =poor ride operations=increase queue times=more fast track sales=more profit

I used to run my own business, it's about working smarter not harder, more customers don't equate to more profit, profit margins do.

I made the most profits when I increased my profit margins despite decreasing my customer numbers.

It probably worth mentioning that I said in my earlier post that Merlin don't care. However, I'm sure that the Alton Towers staff do care, but very much have their hands tied with the dismal budget that they are given to operate the park over the past few seasons.
 
I think it's outrageous that Alton Towers, or more specifically, Merlin, feel that they can increase gate prices year-by-year; but over the past few years, there's actually been more rides close or become SBNO - how can they justify charging more for a less complete product?

Surely having these other rides shut also increases queues on other rides, meaning guests spend longer queuing and thus are less likely to return - which isn't what Alton Towers want? I do get that this increases fast-track sales and not finishing all rides means that guests need to return, but would they really want return if they had a poor day spent mainly queueing?
 
RoyJess said:
Purchasing Fast tracks is not solving the problem, it's only just adding to it.
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I go once a year so unfortunately don't have the will to make a stand against Merlin by standing glumly in a queue line because the park can't be run for shit. Yeah it's not ideal but I'll take the easy option thanks.
 
DW_0505 said:
I think it's outrageous that Alton Towers, or more specifically, Merlin, feel that they can increase gate prices year-by-year; but over the past few years, there's actually been more rides close or become SBNO - how can they justify charging more for a less complete product?

Surely having these other rides shut also increases queues on other rides, meaning guests spend longer queuing and thus are less likely to return - which isn't what Alton Towers want? I do get that this increases fast-track sales and not finishing all rides means that guests need to return, but would they really want return if they had a poor day spent mainly queueing?
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Hasn’t visitor numbers increased each year or at least stayed similar post 2015?

In that respect unless there’s a significant drop in visitors nothing will bother Merlin but then again they’ll use some excuse of weather, terrorism or whatever event happens that they can blame. Sadly things will never return to the glory days of pre 2015.
 
Why not? I said that we had a generally good day and fast pass will improve on that.

I'm not here to make a point on behalf of enthusiasts.
 
mikeroller said:
Also queuing for car park tokens to then queue to leave the car park really puts a ****ter on the day where you've just spent all day queuing.
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Nothing you can do about queuing to get out of the car park other than going for a pint in the hotel until the queues die down, but you can buy your car park token from the machines once through the turnstiles in the morning I think?
 
Steve74 said:
Nothing you can do about queuing to get out of the car park other than going for a pint in the hotel until the queues die down, but you can buy your car park token from the machines once through the turnstiles in the morning I think?
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I’m pretty certain you still can, yeah.
 
ringo said:
Hasn’t visitor numbers increased each year or at least stayed similar post 2015?
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They're on the up, for sure - that's a good sign in terms of consumer confidence if the numbers are made up of the right mix. That said, high visitor numbers on their own aren't enough and aren't a useful metric in. The spending of those visitors needs to remain at a reasonable level.

ringo said:
In that respect unless there’s a significant drop in visitors nothing will bother Merlin but then again they’ll use some excuse of weather, terrorism or whatever event happens that they can blame. Sadly things will never return to the glory days of pre 2015.
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There is much debate about when the glory days started and when they finished (if they have!).
 
Steve74 said:
Nothing you can do about queuing to get out of the car park other than going for a pint in the hotel until the queues die down, but you can buy your car park token from the machines once through the turnstiles in the morning I think?
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That's what I've always done in the past. Haven't been (and don't intend to go again) since last year's pass ran out so I've not experienced the entry/exit carnage I've read about on here.

Go to Splash, have a pint, and wait for the whole thing to blow over!
 
On a more positive operations-related note, it does not seem like the removal of baggage holds has even remotely impacted dispatch times judging by this operations video from Alton. Smiler achieved a 59 second dispatch! Great job, Alton! Keep up the good operations! Here's the video:
 
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