[202X] Project Horizon (SW9?): Planning Approved

[QTXAdsy]

Three preshow rooms...three different backstories that for each time makes the ride experience different.

Think I found the (bottom of the barrel) USP...World's first multi story preshow attraction! Actually would be TBH fun having to experience a different preshow for each ride.

Coaster or not, I can't help but noticed on social media that Black Hole is starting to trend...I'm not making that up and if this is a coaster, you can bet it'll only get more traction.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Have you used RAP recently?

I mean, Nemmy and Spinball use their exits at RAP and they do fine

 

[Matt N]

I mean, Nemmy and Spinball use their exits at RAP and they do fine

They aren’t new, popular rides though. All of the recent new attractions have had purpose-built RAP queues, and in some cases (most notably Wicker Man), even those haven’t proven enough to encase the volume of RAP users seen nowadays.

 

[Nick🎢]

On the plans there are 3 queues. Clearly main, RAP and FP. The length could be more about the logistics of routing them than anything else. I can't think that those queues relate directly to the doors through.

 

[Dave]

I just feel like a lot of people here just want a coaster, whether or not the building design doesn’t really suggest a coaster - not to mention the name Project Horizon certainly suggests something to do with flight

I would actually prefer a tracked dark ride of some description, but the building height and the fact the planning documents make mention of a roller coaster are what is swinging it for me.

 

[Trooper Looper]

They aren’t new, popular rides though. All of the recent new attractions have had purpose-built RAP queues, and in some cases (most notably Wicker Man), even those haven’t proven enough to encase the volume of RAP users seen nowadays.

Well, all I can think of that the small path that leads into the building goes straight to the preshow and gift shop. Duel does it, and I think it was altered to allow RAP before they ruined the Main Queue of the ride :/

 

[tayspru]

I would actually prefer a tracked dark ride of some description, but the building height and the fact the planning documents make mention of a roller coaster are what is swinging it for me.

The mentions in the documents are verbatim copied from when the consultancy company created reports for Exodus. Outside of enthusiasts circles, Rollercoaster and Attraction are interchangeable terms, just like how new lands at parks are often labelled as Theme Parks

 

[Skyscraper]

Just in case anyone doesn't know what a shipping container looks like...



(From the Project Horizon plans of course)

 

[John]

I don't think anyone really believes that what towers needs most of all right now is another coaster (even an indoor one) but it's the simplest explanation for a building that size.

We're clearly looking at a single attraction as the exit path is tiny and doesn't support 2 way traffic, which means whatever it is fills the space - I'd say that rules out something small like a flying theatre.

 

[George W]

I mean, Nemmy and Spinball use their exits at RAP and they do fine

Are they though during summer nemesis rap queue kept spilling out and cluttering the path so they kept having to put full trains of people with ride access path to try and help that.

 

[Trooper Looper]

Are they though during summer nemesis rap queue kept spilling out and cluttering the path so they kept having to put full trains of people with ride access path to try and help that.

Never had that problem whenever I go outside of my latest stip to scare fest this year. I tell you now, most people that use RAP don't even need it. It's a system to overly abused, from my perspective anyway.

 

[tayspru]

Moving away from RAP, aren’t Merlin also building a few more LEGOLAND parks, a staple of which has also become a flying theatre. A deal could be done for the ride hardware which would mean they could fit 2 or even 3 in the building at a favourable discount

 

[John_P]

Not sure why Alton Towers would have a flying theatre with two screens when Legoland which is a more popular park just has the one screen.

Also for them bringing coaster corner back into use you'd think it would be for a ride they need to go indoors to avoid noise complaints so it's suited to that area. A flying theatre isn't really that sort of ride so would almost seem like a waste of using that area when they could build a flying theatre elsewhere in the park.

 

[tayspru]

Not sure why Alton Towers would have a flying theatre with two screens when Legoland which is a more popular park just has the one screen.

Also for them bringing coaster corner back into use you'd think it would be for a ride they need to go indoors to avoid noise complaints so it's suited to that area. A flying theatre isn't really that sort of ride so would almost seem like a waste of using that area when they could build a flying theatre elsewhere in the park.

Flight of the Sky Lions queue is both miserable and moves at a glacial pace, they really should have built at least 2 theatres there aswell

 

[QTXAdsy]

Not sure why Alton Towers would have a flying theatre with two screens when Legoland which is a more popular park just has the one screen.

Also for them bringing coaster corner back into use you'd think it would be for a ride they need to go indoors to avoid noise complaints so it's suited to that area. A flying theatre isn't really that sort of ride so would almost seem like a waste of using that area when they could build a flying theatre elsewhere in the park.

Yeah, if I wanted a flying theatre built on the park it'd either be on the car park behind Galactica to compliment a flying theme there with those two rides, or simply rip down the Nickelodeon building and nearby buildings too to start work on there, could just get away with being just a single screen one if it is just be a filler attraction for that area.

 

[venny]

Not sure why Alton Towers would have a flying theatre with two screens when Legoland which is a more popular park just has the one screen.

Also for them bringing coaster corner back into use you'd think it would be for a ride they need to go indoors to avoid noise complaints so it's suited to that area. A flying theatre isn't really that sort of ride so would almost seem like a waste of using that area when they could build a flying theatre elsewhere in the park.

Wouldn’t they need to put any new ride in a building if it’s going to be placed in that corner, whether it’s a coaster or another attraction? Obviously a flying theatre has to be enclosed in any case so the logic could be, why not build it there.

 

[Rob]

Remember Wardley said that the next big thing in the industry (in his opinion) is coming to Alton Towers. Now sure that could be a project after this, but then we're looking closer to 2028/29, so I fully expect it to be this. A Flying Theatre would not be the next big thing seeing as they've been around for ages.

 

[tayspru]

Remember Wardley said that the next big thing in the industry (in his opinion) is coming to Alton Towers. Now sure that could be a project after this, but then we're looking closer to 2028/29, so I fully expect it to be this. A Flying Theatre would not be the next big thing seeing as they've been around for ages.

Isn’t the lead time for major Merlin coasters about 5 years? This project doesn’t strike me as something that would ever have been considered under public Merlin

 

[Rob]

Isn’t the lead time for major Merlin coasters about 5 years? This project doesn’t strike me as something that would ever have been considered under public Merlin

I'm not sure what you're getting at here? The Smiler and Wicker Man for example were done when Merlin were on the stock market. As for the lead time, I have no idea. I am sure this won't have been in the works for a full 5 years thus far.

 

[tayspru]

The fact they’re building something that has no discernible USP at this stage, in an area that has been abandoned for a very long time. I don’t know but it doesn’t add up to coaster for me