I think enthusiasts overplay the ‘second only to Disney’ phrasing and interpret it as they please and in turn decide to beat Merlin over the head with it. The phrasing started as “"Merlin is the clear market leader in Europe and second only to Disney worldwide in terms of admissions" and has since been used in a variety of forms. It primarily relates to size, not quality. You only have to look at visitor levels, ridership, budgets and positions in the market to make a fair distinction between the two. Merlin operates regional theme parks/resorts - Disney operates worldwide destinations and their product is representative of this.
Fair play
@Rick
Well, the phrasing, no matter how it started should never had them compare themselves to anyone or anything. As soon as you start adding in a different brand and using comparisons, no matter if they are admissions, quality or whatever, you're setting yourself up for making people compare a company in multiple areas.
It's like Sainsbury's saying "we're second only to Waitrose in the amount of different potato varieties we have". Suddenly, customers start looking out for this comparison in the two stores and then compare taste, quality and size - even though that was never mentioned in the original press release.
But people are looking out for it because the company has made this statement. So they may have more varieties in Waitrose but suddenly people express how Sainsbury's have poor quality of size and taste and Waitrose has a better taste, more variety and start to complain about Sainsbury's etc etc etc...we get ourselves in to a viscous cycle that we (Sainsbury's) started and now can't ever go back on.
I don’t think Merlin, or Tussauds before them were really interested in building Disney quality attractions – not to say they won’t build great quality attractions, but I don’t think that they will do consistently.
Absolutely, they're not a clone, they're different but Tussaud's (before 2003) arguably had strong visions for every park (bar Thorpe) at the time. Alton Towers was thrill primarily with family secondary and Chessington was family primarily. It wasn't about creating Disney or Universal scale attractions, it was about creating quality and fun. The haunted house, RMT, Toyland Tours, Nemesis, Oblivion etc. They were (and some still are) theatre and show us quality! The UK quality is very different to American quality - this is what makes us different! We have a wonderful and unique quality so let's show it! But you don't have to travel over the Atlantic to see quality when it's on our own doorstep at some far smaller parks.
Why can't they be consistent in quality of additions? That's like me taking a concept brief and only bothering with half? I would fail my targets, fail my promise and not get a good word about me or any bonus! It can't happen. N:ST, a great concept but Merlin studios didn't deliver the brief, that's unacceptable from a company who specialise in that!
I would argue the closest that they ever got was with Hex and even that was a shambles when it opened and the product of today is the result of quite a bit of trial and error.
And here we are, things go wrong, absolutely and that's everywhere, Alton, Thorpe, Chessington, Drayton, Disneyland Paris, WDW and so on and so on...but it's the
recovery that Merlin don't grasp. When an attraction isn't quite working as envisaged during the testing stages or even if just discovered when the experience is live, there needs to be action taken and improvements (no matter how little) to ensure the attraction can work.
Tussaud's studios were
committed to making Hex acceptable and spending money on what was only meant to be a temporary 10 year attraction. Yet with SubTerra, MMM seem to have slapped a scare zone on the end (which didn't last long) and that's them basically saying "there we go! Scarier now!" they
failed their brief the first time around and so a small scare corridor is meant to fix it?! How can this laziness be deemed as acceptable?! I know chucking even (what would seem to the GP lots but to the theme park) a small amount (500k/1mil)...it still wasn't and isn't to brief. They create these attractions (N:ST and Galactica are two we'll use) and seem to gloss over the actual staffing and throughput logistics and then tell them to cut back or close attractions because of staffing?
The company doesn't work as a unit.
MMM go about their ways, Midway go about theirs and Resort Theme Parks go about theirs...there's no consistency in the company. If MMM tell them (the park management teams) they need X amount of staff for the "optimum experience" but then Merlin HQ tell the park management get told they need to cut X amount of staff because of budgets and on X rides (remember this is on a ride MMM designed for the park from a brief) then that shows a serious lack of understanding. Merlin HQ/Park management will have a cost-saving and logistical head on but MMM will have a creative head on, create a brief which looks fantastic on paper and then the experiences get green lit and all seems to be OK? Wait, without the long term effects being thought of in a logistical way by any of the three mentioned areas? It baffles me! MMM, Merlin HQ and Park management should be discussing, ensuring and delivering a product which can be efficient, made to the brief, quality reflected in price and affordable in the long-term for the park.
Each of the theming elements that you mentioned were built outside of the Merlin tenure, I would suggest that Merlin have a responsibility to maintain what was in place when they bought the park and I think they will pursue lower maintenance theming going forwards, we've seen that with 13 and Smiler, the key standout would be Swarm.
Hmmm...so I take it in the last few seasons when these (installed during the merlin tenure) have failed:
- Ice Age effects.
- Sub Terra TV's and certain effects.
- Smiler's timed audio effects, optical procedure room, smoke and screens.
- SAW's queueline effects.
- SAW Alive.
- Storm Surge....just Storm Surge...
- Zufari Tunnel Effects.
- Th13teen's Tesla Coil and electric shutter.
- Half of Battle Galleons
- 2011 saw no new ride for Towers yet NO TLC anywhere
I understand what you mean about the upkeep of the effects already in place but they don't maintain the ones created during their occupancy let alone those from before.
Lower maintenance theming...fair point but I actually think they're relying on too many tech heavy elements with 13 ...Tesla Coil, electric shutter, smoke...and Smiler...smoke, projectors, track sensor audio effects, TVs, marmaliser elements...
If Merlin want low maintenance then just stop making MMM add tech heavy "themed elements" in their brief? Galactica is also more tech heavy (ignoring the VR completely) aesthetically than Air ever was so I'm failing to see the low maintenance rolling out just yet. But this harks back to the company not working in unison across the board etc.
I feel like Merlin went about and beyond with Swarm and that theming still doesn't seem to get a lot of love
I love the Swarm's area, it's really really good and the detail of what is there is wonderful - the area aesthetics were designed and planned well. The little details exist too like the ride station as a vehicle etc. It's just the story delivery and there could be way more to make it even better but we can settle with what we have.
I also love Galactica's area with the paving, the portal, signs etc and I love the marmaliser and it's interaction. I love these elements and I love the effort made, it's just frustrating that they're not as proud as they should be, given the budget to maintain all these effects. Cuts have been made and sadly, too much of the front line has been cut so it's starting to rub off on the public.
Naturally, I am in a minority - but I would be quite happy for Alton and Merlin to take a more American approach to theming and build gimmick free, lightly themed rides that are providing Six Flags and Cedar Fair incredible results and record visitor satisfaction.
No no to the theming and lightly themed rides but YES to the gimmick free experiences! GOD PLEASE - they could have such a draw if they just marketed and designed it all correctly!
Also, I agree with Ryan B - I think theming is something that is forever overplayed by enthusiasts and it feels a little bit like a lot of folks have a mythic level of perfection in their minds that we'll never see at Alton Towers, so with that in mind you have to either:
- Keep moaning about it on the internet and never accept that Merlin will do what they do
- Deal with it
Move to Klugheim
There's a lot of enthusiasts on here and around that get it, understand it's a business and know what's realistically achievable. They're valuable and most of the time, really loyal. Park's who disregard their fan bases/enthusiast opinion tend to lose a following.
Not all enthusiasts have a mythic level of perfection...they have sense and the clarity to see other parks planning projects and experiences for cheaper yet more immersive and impressive.
It's not moaning, it's discussing, listening and sharing. People will nitpick and moan but that's because this is the place to do it.
And finally… the Yeti is still broken.
Really off topic but yes he is. Sadly with the base and foundations at high risk of structural damage, the hydraulics are far to powerful for the foundations to cope so he has been off for years now.
Some imagineer's seemed to have cocked that one up. Hopefully with Animal Kingdom relaunching with it's night entertainment brand we'll see the Yeti restored but I know there's been serious problems with actually getting to the area which needs work with not ruining the frame of the base, ride/scene supports and spinning out of control financially. Plus, with River's of Light's GPS auto-tracking barge coding and technology causing massive issues and delays (and more money) I think the relaunch of expedition Everest (with it's new night time ride version) will still have a static yeti.
Mods, I'm terribly sorry to go off topic and promise this is my last reply on here.
I try not to be negative, but there are a lot of issues which aren't necessarily merlins fault, but they could be sorted. With the attendance fall they need to do some sort of thing similar to the 'magic' branding but more updated. The park needs to be an experience, not the rides. Towers street has the magic, Katanga Canyon has the magic, once Hex opens fountain square should have the magic, Gloomy wood has the magic (apart from when nirrogenie is playing bad music) X sector seems to have lost a bit of the magic, but it is still my favourite area and that isn't necessarily the parks fault, I understand why they had to get rid of the music on extra loud, and all the other stuff. I've noticed the ministry of joy welcomes you to X sector has Gone, which is one of my main annoyances as it's the little things. Cloud Cuckoo Land, and Dark forest don't have the magic, apart from thirteens station. The thing which
