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Stargazing Pods

I would say, "I'm sure it'll look better once the grass has grown", but to be fair I don't think it will do really.
 
A few pictures from Stargazing Pods from our visit on Tuesday. There's a full gallery over on TowersStreet News.

Main Entrance Arch
Stargazing-Pods-Entrance.jpg


The Pods themselves
Stargazing-Pods-Pathway.jpg


Signage
Pods-Direction-Sign.jpg


Toilet/Shower Building
Facilities-Building.jpg


Village Green
Village-Green-Overview-1.jpg


Tipi
This will lead onto the green, there's clearly still a lot of work to go on this bit
Pods-Tipi-1024x577.jpg


There's still a lot of work to do, with construction workers getting on with finishing the facilities building. The tipi still needs to be completed, but it is starting to come together - now the turf is laid it really improves the look! Some key things:
  • Breakfast is collected from the Tree Top Quest reception, which will now be the reception for Stargazing Pods
  • The tipi will include a bar and nightly live entertainment (singer). Although it doesn't look great at the moment, with lighting and some dressing in the coming weeks it should look much better
  • It was wet on Tuesday, with literal rivers on the way to Towers and the entrance road being a swimming pool - so the site was **extremely** soggy to say the least! Puddles will be apparent in some areas in pictures you'll see around, but overall I think the area will cope well with most rain and it's not indicative of massive issues or anything.
Now then, my thoughts (haters look away if you want, but downsides are below too!). Actually being in the site it felt a lot less crammed in than seeing it from the outside. Call me out for rose tinted glasses being at a media preview if you want, but even in the initially damp dreary conditions I was pleasantly surprised. The lighter paths really make the whole place look much better. They need a lot of time to allow the trees grow in and turf to settle, then like Enchanted Village it will improve in time.

That said, paths do not cover every single pod at the moment (some are just facing grass), and I hope this is something they do complete before opening. For me personally this isn't the accommodation for me but I can see the attraction for some. I still feel the three figure price is too high, and something sub £100 would be much better. It'll be interesting to see if we see some price adjustments as the season goes on. Oh and ditch that towel charge too! The 'village green' could be great in the Summer, as could the tipi if it's done right. I'd like to see a play area or something in there, lots of seating/deckchairs and perhaps some outdoor games for guests to use too.

I would personally have still preferred to see larger lodges on this site, with the central village green and tipi remaining. I reckon this would have been a much better fit, but then you lose that budget option (for customers and the resort itself) that they're looking for then I guess. I'm Looking forward to seeing how it pans out over the next season or two anyway.
 
Can we just take a moment to appreciate this statement from Laura Gerrard, Senior Brand Manager at Alton Towers. Specifically the part in bold.
Laura Gerrard said:
Stargazing is about igniting your imagination, less so ‘stargazing through your pod’. We’ve created our own Alton Towers Resort constellations, you’ll see in the logo we’ve got the Towers, and then throughout the pods, you’ll see the logo of 10 of our iconic rides in the constellations. The backstory very much being that we live in our little amazing world up here at Alton Towers Resort.
Click to expand...
Yes, they’re really telling people straight up that they’ll just have to use their imagination to see the stars! :tearsofjoy:
 
The tipi being used as a bar and entertainment should certainly be good, and it addresses people's initial criticisms about a lack of new entertainment and bar facilities.

As much as people want to hate these new developments (Dungeons and Stargazing Pods), I personally think both look quite good after seeing these photos! I genuinely think people will be pleasantly surprised when these both open!
 
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