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2020: General Discussion

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Danny

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Given the release of the next season opening dates, it feels about time to get the 2020 general discussion wheels rolling.

Hopefully either an error or something that will change closer to the time are 4pm closings in mid-July. 6pm closes throughout the rest of the Summer Holidays however are great to see.

In terms of aspects outside of the World of David Walliams, Towers have specified that the Monorail is set to receive some attention during the closed season leading into 2020. Perhaps it's time they finally remove the vinyls from the windows so we can be reunited with the view down Towers Street over the entrance for the 40th anniversary?
 
Hopefully either an error or something that will change closer to the time are 4pm closings in mid-July. 6pm closes throughout the rest of the Summer Holidays however are great to see.

My guess would be the 4pm July closes are days where they mainly see school trips. Most school trips will leave the park at 4pm anyway so someone must have worked out the best hours for those weekdays.
 
The new website is very bland and corporate looking.


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We’ll have the usual “outrage” for a couple of months about the rubbish hours then a few changes will happen and people will be happier.
... But probably not much happier if 2019 is anything to go by.
 
Ooh, a monorail refurbishment could be good! I wonder whether they'll go for a flashback to the old style or something completely new?
 
I was just looking up fireworks hotel prices (which haven’t gone up yet) and I stumbled across the fact you no longer seem to get theme park entry when staying onsite and instead you have to pay £34 each for the privilege!
 
Speaking of the Monorail, Thrill Nation have noticed something very interesting on Alton Towers' new website which has led them to make an interesting suggestion.

What they noticed was that the walking distance to the park is mentioned in the standard parking description on the website, but there is no mention whatsoever of the Monorail, so what they are suggesting is; could the Monorail potentially be receiving some Towers Loving Care for the entirety of the 2020 season before reopening in 2021? Could this be the attention that Alton Towers was alluding to?

It would certainly be an interesting decision to make for the park's 40th season, but if it were a hefty refurbishment that could keep it going for years to come, then I'm all for it!
 
On the same page it says "You can either walk to the Theme Park entrance, as directed by signage across all car parks. You can also catch the Resort Monorail...". The walking distance seems to be mentioned to boost express parking sales.

It would be great to see something done to the monorail. At the bare minimum, clean the exteriors, paint/refurbish the interiors and remove the vinyls from the windows. Anything more than that would be a bonus.
 
What they noticed was that the walking distance to the park is mentioned in the standard parking description on the website, but there is no mention whatsoever of the Monorail
  • Standard Parking, walk 15-25 minutes.
  • Standard Parking Premium, board our exclusive monorail train to begin your fantabulous day even quicker. Only £5 each way.
 
  • Standard Parking, walk 15-25 minutes.
  • Standard Parking Premium, board our exclusive monorail train to begin your fantabulous day even quicker. Only £5 each way.
Does it actually say that?
 
I was just looking up fireworks hotel prices (which haven’t gone up yet) and I stumbled across the fact you no longer seem to get theme park entry when staying onsite and instead you have to pay £34 each for the privilege!
It doesn’t offer me the ability to book hotel for the fireworks days?
But it’s not included theme park admission all the time for years, you need to select the package you want, with tickets or just bed and breakfast
 
I was just looking up fireworks hotel prices (which haven’t gone up yet) and I stumbled across the fact you no longer seem to get theme park entry when staying onsite and instead you have to pay £34 each for the privilege!
I thought even if you were staying in the hotels over fireworks you still had to buy theme park tickets?
 
I thought even if you were staying in the hotels over fireworks you still had to buy theme park tickets?
No, this year I stayed in the lodges for fireworks and a 2 day pass is included in the price for each guest and that was your guaranteed entry too. Of course, this year could be different, but until the dates are available to book at the hotels we won't know for sure.
 
In terms of the offer of tickets linked to hotel stays, not much has changed - it’s just all in the way it is marketed.

They have flipped back and forth over the years regarding tickets being included or needing to be added on, but the overall price you pay hasn’t changed much.

For the past couple of years it has been marketed as ‘get your second day free!’ - the way that worked in the background was that your hotel package included a £34pp charge which equates to a one day ticket purchased online in advance - hence the second day free.

Now they have removed the £34pp charge and you need to add it on separately at the extras page. They have done this because they want to push the season passes, so you can either add on two day tickets for £34, or a season pass for £58.
 
I thought even if you were staying in the hotels over fireworks you still had to buy theme park tickets?

It seems to vary. This year (2019) to get the 40% discount we had to book a package with tickets, so it was cheaper to get the package than to buy tickets separately. But in 2018 and 2017 we managed to get a discounted bed and breakfast stay for fireworks weekend and then bought tickets separately or used Tesco points.
 
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