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Grime?

The Smiler looking filthy and dilapidated?

It's been like that for years and is endemic of the resort's failure to properly prioritise ride presentation.

Alton have sadly left so many attractions to this fate. It's the way the park is, and has been, for a decade or more now.

The small few who actually pull their socks up to sort this sort of stuff facing tidal waves of ambivalence to actually rectify anything.

I've been posting bits of gunk covered theming on rides like Smiler for years.

Nothing will change long-term unless there's a step change in expectation.

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Sorry state of affairs when parts of the park end up looking like they belong in an abandoned Amusement park in Chernobyl.
 
Unless a national newspaper decides to have a pop at AT about covid secure. By using how dirty their rides are in areas they can be touched. Nothing will change.

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It's been like that for years and is endemic of the resort's failure to properly prioritise ride presentation.

Alton have sadly left so many attractions to this fate. It's the way the park is, and has been, for a decade or more now.

The small few who actually pull their socks up to sort this sort of stuff facing tidal waves of ambivalence to actually rectify anything.

It does seem crazy that management can walk around the park and think "I am proud of how that looks".

The only person who seemed to be trying to improve things was Wayne Burton (who started the TLC stuff) but he has got promoted up out of Alton Towers to Merlin overall.
 
The Towers Loving Care programme went some way towards solving this problem, did it not? Some areas like Towers Street were really revitalised by that program, and they did a fantastic job refurbishing areas like Forbidden Valley and Hex, in my opinion!

I admit The Smiler’s queue line is far from my favourite queue on park, as I find it quite claustrophobic, but I could have sworn I read somewhere that the design of it was intentional in order to contrast between the sad people in the queue and the happy people on the ride or something like that. I must say, however; when did they add a very bright strobe to the indoor section of the queue? I find that very unpleasant when it goes off, personally; always makes me grimace! In terms of the overall theme, I don’t think Smiler was intended to be a full-on themed experience in the vein of something like Wicker Man, so I think the theming they have does the job for what they want it to do, even if it doesn’t envelop you in the theme in quite the same way as something like Wicker Man does.

I do like the photo opportunities of the coaster in The Smiler’s queue line, however!
 
TLC came in because of years of neglect.
It was a cutback gimick.
They highlighted bits they had done, but large parts of the park recieved no tlc.
The smiler pit needs fungicide treatment straight after jetwashing, that way the cleanup would last six months...a full season, instead of six weeks.
To treat the whole of the smiler pit would cost about fifty quid on treatment (e.g.Algon) , and fifty quid in labour, one staff member walking the queueline with a spray kit...not rocket science.
But Merlin dont want to spend the hundred quid.
 
The Towers Loving Care programme went some way towards solving this problem, did it not? Some areas like Towers Street were really revitalised by that program, and they did a fantastic job refurbishing areas like Forbidden Valley and Hex, in my opinion!

I admit The Smiler’s queue line is far from my favourite queue on park, as I find it quite claustrophobic, but I could have sworn I read somewhere that the design of it was intentional in order to contrast between the sad people in the queue and the happy people on the ride or something like that. I must say, however; when did they add a very bright strobe to the indoor section of the queue? I find that very unpleasant when it goes off, personally; always makes me grimace! In terms of the overall theme, I don’t think Smiler was intended to be a full-on themed experience in the vein of something like Wicker Man, so I think the theming they have does the job for what they want it to do, even if it doesn’t envelop you in the theme in quite the same way as something like Wicker Man does.

I do like the photo opportunities of the coaster in The Smiler’s queue line, however!

Have you seen the original concept art for The Smiler? The station looked incredibly themed, but sadly all they installed were some lamps.

I also think it has more to do with the state of the Marmaliser than the actual layout. I’m no fan of the ride but from the photos I’ve seen of it, parts are crumbling apart.
 
The Smiler looks truly horrendous at the moment.

The track has practically turned orange, the concrete walls are filthy, half of the screens have blocks of dead pixels, The Marmaliser is falling apart, there are weeds growing through the floor, when it rains the area becomes a swimming pool... the list goes on.

I cannot fathom - particularly on The Smiler given its past - how they can look at it and think its acceptable.

I’ve visited a good number of theme parks across Europe, and unfortunately the only others I can think of that allow their rides and theming to get in such a state are Heide & Thorpe Park. Go figure.

If they think guests don’t notice, I implore the powers that be to stand in a queue line and listen to the comments.
 
The Towers Loving Care programme went some way towards solving this problem, did it not? Some areas like Towers Street were really revitalised by that program, and they did a fantastic job refurbishing areas like Forbidden Valley and Hex, in my opinion!

But at the end of the three years they stopped, whereas things need to continue. Towers St doesn't need painting every year, but the jet washing does need doing more often and then some areas need painting every year on a proper cycle.

Will be interesting to see what Towers St looks like in five years, if they have kept up with painting and cleaning.
 
There’s no point in just putting thick paint over a knackered fence or shabby building.

It’ll still be a knackered fence and shabby building.
 
They let things get in that state because the money is coming in, if Smiler incident hadn’t happen there is no chance the “TLC” marketing campaign would of happened and people would still be complaining about the scaffolding at Rita this very day.
 
The lack of upkeep says something about the public’s expectations as well. If Merlin didn’t operate a cut price model, I guess there would perhaps be higher expectations in presentation. That’s probably bolstered by the amount of AP holders, the rushing inherent in the short opening hours and Merlin’s dominance of the theme park market driving down expectations.

People should definitely be calling this out, as we are here. There are parts of the park which are just disgusting and, even if you can’t articulate it, the way the park is presented certainly leaves a subconscious impression on the quality of your visit.
 
but I could have sworn I read somewhere that the design of it was intentional in order to contrast between the sad people in the queue and the happy people on the ride or something like that.

Yeaaaahhhh that's it. What a convenient reason. Nothing to do with them squeezing in an attraction in a space where it clearly doesn't fit. Talk about a square block in a circle hole.
 
People should definitely be calling this out, as we are here. There are parts of the park which are just disgusting and, even if you can’t articulate it, the way the park is presented certainly leaves a subconscious impression on the quality of your visit.
Need to make sure at least that TripAdvisor reviews are left showing the state of the park.
 
Need to make sure at least that TripAdvisor reviews are left showing the state of the park.

Not that I am I advocating it, but I’m pretty sure if the usual Alton bashing papers picked up on the state of The Smiler they would certainly run with it on a slow news day!

But yes, Tripadvisor is a good shout. Their beloved iPad questionnaires are so rigged to provide them with positive feedback then I imagine this is the only real way to get them to listen.




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Brittania hotels group are another "quality" brand that comes to mind.
Theit tripe advisor reviews for the Metropole in Blackpool always make fun reading.
The Metropole doesnt "do" complaints!
Take it up with head office!

As far as the Towers grime...the six flags run to the basement...what do you expect from a fifty quid season pass?
 
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