2026: General Discussion

[jonhotboy2023]

Can’t wait to go back to Alton towers love the park so much

 

[GaryH]

I agree with pretty much everything you said prior to this but i'm not convinced this last bit is true.

Not quite the same but the After Dark offerings show there is a big demand for late night entertainment and the popularity of the Halloween events at various parks illustrates that people are keen to stay up and take part in events that aren't just rides.

The bigger (and better) parks across Europe offer various forms of evening entertainment that also seem to be popular. Has the UK culture really deviated so much in that regard? I think it's purely a matter of economics and no doubt Universal will both deliver and excel in terms of providing evening entertainment.

Alton do get a lot of complaints about noise levels now in ATH particularly from rooms nearer the atrium which is why the entrainment has been toned down and everything shuts down so early now. As for people’s tastes , I was thinking back to the days of Tricky Dicky and so on , I don’t think that sort of entertainment and jokes would be appreciated now.

Just trying to think back but perhaps ATH was more an adults hotel in the years after opening whereas now it’s more families?

 

[Matt N]

I have a quick question: I often hear people say that Alton Towers is going downhill because it appears to be untidy (e.g. paint peeling off, and rides needing cleaning, et cetera)

However: am I correct in thinking that perhaps Alton Towers was ALWAYS ‘dirty’, but nobody noticed back then because rides were being replaced so often that the shiny new hardware automatically appeared as if it had been freshly cleaned?

Or am I wrong, and was there in fact previously a dedicated cleaning and repainting regime that no longer exists anymore?

I can sense it won’t be a popular opinion, but I think you might be onto something here @Secret Weapon.

I’m not saying that the park wasn’t once cleaner and better kept in some ways, but as much as people romanticise the Tussauds era, I have a theory that Tussauds, even in their Pearson form, shared the limited regard for long-term thinking and preventative maintenance that Merlin have (or had until very recently if we’re being generous?) in many ways.

It is worth us noting that during the Pearson era, the core infrastructure like the Monorail and the Skyride was shiny and new, perhaps hiding any cracks in preventative maintenance, whereas during the present Merlin era, it’s close to 40 years old, which brings any cracks much more to the forefront. And when the park is splashing the cash on shiny new rides every other year, preventative maintenance of existing attractions is easier to ignore and less of a concern.

As well as this, I think it is worth us noting some case studies from the years prior to Merlin arriving on the scene in 2007.

Take the example of some of Wardley’s classic dark rides. These rides opened to much love and fanfare, but none of them lasted in their original forms beyond 2005, and I’ve heard it said that lack of effects maintenance and updates was to do with that.

John Wardley has told us himself that he and Keith Sparks proposed a new scene to be added to the Haunted House each year, but Pearson refused to grant the budget for this as the ride had already made its required profit and no further changes would generate additional profit (that sounds very Merlin to me!). I’ve heard it said that the Haunted House became “bad” from as early as 1998, and by the time the Duel refurbishment came around, the ride was in need of some love. I’ve heard the same said about the other revamps of classic Wardley dark rides (Charlie, Imperial Leather Bubbleworks, Tomb Blaster); even if the changes were not always well received, the rides were in a state such that some TLC was needed.

It is also worth us remembering the entirety of Chessington. By the end of the Tussauds era, the park was in such a decrepit state that Tussauds allegedly considered selling it on, and the early Merlin era was mostly punctuated by refurbishments and replacements of old, decrepit legacy attractions up until the early 2020s. While I’m not saying Merlin were perfect, things like the removal of Dragon Falls’ rockwork, Runaway Train’s rockwork and Tomb Blaster’s wooden queue fencing due to H&S concerns and decay happened relatively early in their tenure, and I think Tussauds did have a significant role in this level of decay setting in, whether we like to admit it or not.

I’m not saying that Tussauds were terrible or that Merlin are saints, but I don’t think the two eras are as far apart as many like to imply. I think Tussauds, even under Pearson, would eventually have had things following a very similar trajectory.

 

[Squiggs]

I believe the noise complaints at ATH aren't a new phenomenon, those complaints kicked off pretty much from day one. And ironically it was the highest paying guests that were worst affected, as all the themed suites sit basically straight off the atrium.

I'm sure that Tussauds stated that this is why Splash Landings is designed the way it is, with no rooms too close to the bar/entertainment areas. You'll notice there is a distinct buffer zone between the reception and guests rooms.

The thing that has changed is how the resort manages the noise situation. When Splash Landings originally opened, both bars were open for reasonable hours, but as the evening went on, the Dragon Bar entertainment started to wind down earlier, encouraging guests towards Marg's where the ents went on later. But, if I'm remembering correctly, even then Dragon Bar would stay open till 11pm and Marg's closed around Midnight (and in both cases entertainment finished around an hour before).

The problem has been exacerbated in recent times due to all the budget cuts, so now neither bar is open long enough and the entertainment is even more thinned out. And arguably there isn't enough Bar or Restaurant capacity, as they didn't add enough additional F&B offering to cater for the Enchanted Village and Stargazing Pods (and to an extent CBeebies Land Hotel).

 

[Liam_82]

After what seems to have been an at best mixed start to the year feel obliged to report we had a really great day on park yesterday, arrived 0935, left 1820 and ride count was 15. The biggest compliment I can give is it felt like the times I used to come in the early 2000s, turn up, no huge rush, ride everything, chose what you want to re-ride and at the end of the day you actually felt like you had had enough as opposed to the frantic scrapping around to try and get everything (or even enough in) to justify your day. It probably helped everything opened on time and stayed open for the majority of the day

Also know nothing of ride operation but the team on smiler were smashing it yesterday, turned an advertised 45 mins into just over half an hour and from seeing them in action I can understand why, great energy getting people on, sorted and off

Just thought I'd share a positive experience

 

[BennyBoy]

After what seems to have been an at best mixed start to the year feel obliged to report we had a really great day on park yesterday, arrived 0935, left 1820 and ride count was 15. The biggest compliment I can give is it felt like the times I used to come in the early 2000s, turn up, no huge rush, ride everything, chose what you want to re-ride and at the end of the day you actually felt like you had had enough as opposed to the frantic scrapping around to try and get everything (or even enough in) to justify your day. It probably helped everything opened on time and stayed open for the majority of the day

Also know nothing of ride operation but the team on smiler were smashing it yesterday, turned an advertised 45 mins into just over half an hour and from seeing them in action I can understand why, great energy getting people on, sorted and off

Just thought I'd share a positive experience

Similar experience for me start of this week!

 

[dgp17]

Great start to our trip to Towers today. Got on the second train of the day on Th13teen only for it to come to a sudden halt at the bottom of the lift hill. Around 45 minutes later and we were evacuated, which was a first for us. The first train had also stopped just after the drop and they, too, were evacuated. Fair play to Towers though, they gave us some one-shot fast tracks as recompense.

Most coasters shut for periods - apart from Nemesis and Wickerman - mainly before lunch, while Spinball was down for most of the day. We saw two engineers straddling part of the track working on something.

Operations were great, they were chucking out trains at a fair lick today, namely Wickerman, Smiler, Nemesis and 13, once they had solved the issues there.

Not too busy in the park either with barely anything reaching a 60-minute queue (only Bluey and 13 but for literally just for a few mins).

 

[b2311e]

I have a quick question: I often hear people say that Alton Towers is going downhill because it appears to be untidy (e.g. paint peeling off, and rides needing cleaning, et cetera)

However: am I correct in thinking that perhaps Alton Towers was ALWAYS ‘dirty’, but nobody noticed back then because rides were being replaced so often that the shiny new hardware automatically appeared as if it had been freshly cleaned?

Or am I wrong, and was there in fact previously a dedicated cleaning and repainting regime that no longer exists anymore?

This may well just be perception, but the way I see it, there was always a certain standard to which the park followed.

A couple of years ago now, I attended on Blue Light Card day (just prior to the season start). There were cobwebs all over the exit to the monorail, as it had very clearly not been given a 'once over'. This is the sort of thing that I cannot imagine happening, say, 10 years ago.
Sticking with the monorail as I know it gets mentioned here a lot - The flow of trains used to be constant. If you stood near the track they'd be passing every couple of minutes. Now, they sit in the stations for significant lengths of time, even when boarding is complete. The trains themselves belong in a museum (or scrapyard) at this point. As the first impression most guests will receive, it's really not a great look.

Anything printed, whether that's a sign or a vinyl wrap, always used to look brand new. I suspect they were actually replacing where damaged, or at least keeping up with cleaning. These days, everything is battered.

Oblivion had alterations to the queue in the last year, to accommodate single rider again. Although there's fence adjustments, the condition of the railings (especially the metalwork immediately before the station) is terrible. Rusted, falling apart and some sections are taped over. The sections of queue that pass underneath the station building have been dusty and dirty for years.

In the past, I always thought surfaces were designed defensively against graffiti, but we now have numerous rides with unpainted timber queuelines, adorned with someone's snapchat username. Previously nearly all wooden fences I can think of were painted in dark colours. They did go through a phase of sanding off graffiti, but that only seemed to draw attention to the freshly blanked canvas.

Beyond appearances, there are some other differences I've noticed:

On to Towers Street itself, the queue for Guest Services often stretches far beyond the building. Again, something I cannot remember in the past.

In general, availability is significantly worse. To be fair, it isn't just Towers doing it, but the phenomenon of 'ride availability' pages is new. Rides featuring on there for extended periods is accepted now, but again, I can't remember planned closures being so prevalent early in the season (outside of unavoidable issues like mechanical failure).

I don't know if it has changed in the last year, but the road into the car park was diabolical on my last visit, akin to the surface of the moon.

 

[dgp17]

Great start to our trip to Towers today. Got on the second train of the day on Th13teen only for it to come to a sudden halt at the bottom of the lift hill. Around 45 minutes later and we were evacuated, which was a first for us. The first train had also stopped just after the drop and they, too, were evacuated. Fair play to Towers though, they gave us some one-shot fast tracks as recompense.

Most coasters shut for periods - apart from Nemesis and Wickerman - mainly before lunch, while Spinball was down for most of the day. We saw two engineers straddling part of the track working on something.

Operations were great, they were chucking out trains at a fair lick today, namely Wickerman, Smiler, Nemesis and 13, once they had solved the issues there.

Not too busy in the park either with barely anything reaching a 60-minute queue (only Bluey and 13 but for literally just for a few mins).

Just add as well, the trommel tunnel and several other effects were not working on Curse, although the monorail seemed to be testing for most of the day. Excellent bus service replacement though.

And two blokes were working on the rapids, doing some carpentry work right near the ramp at the end of the ride.