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New SW yeah or nay

Doesn't have to just be flat ride fillers, could be a fun house, a new full dark ride, a collection of flat rides, etc.

I'm comparing to Phantasialand that doesn't have a huge count of flats either (but does have a wave swinger) and it is the fun house and Maus Au Chocolat that I remember and feel missing from Towers line up.

They do need to replace Ripsaw, Submission and work out a long term plan for Blade and Enterprise. But the park needs expanding with more to do for 6-60 year olds that everyone can enjoy.
 
I don't really enjoy flat rides so I couldn't care less about them. However Towers definitely needs something to draw crowds away from the coasters on peak days. The only flat rides I enjoy that are currently popular in the industry are the pendulum rides like Loke etc. I enjoy these because unlike most flats they don't make me sick and dizzy. Quite thrilling too. If they could somehow fit one of these in with the strict height restrictions (a pit or something) then great stuff.

Otherwise I hope they just continue with coasters and dark rides personally as well as kiddie rides too obviously.
 
I don't really enjoy flat rides so I couldn't care less about them. However Towers definitely needs something to draw crowds away from the coasters on peak days. The only flat rides I enjoy that are currently popular in the industry are the pendulum rides like Loke etc. I enjoy these because unlike most flats they don't make me sick and dizzy. Quite thrilling too. If they could somehow fit one of these in with the strict height restrictions (a pit or something) then great stuff.

Otherwise I hope they just continue with coasters and dark rides personally as well as kiddie rides too obviously.

I also don't like flats that are too spinny and sickening. Swinging are fun though (Rush at Thorpe is one of my favourites). But there are other options, dodgems, towers, etc.

Also a flying theatre would be pretty cool, anyone for Soarin' over Staffordshire?
 
I also don't like flats that are too spinny and sickening. Swinging are fun though (Rush at Thorpe is one of my favourites). But there are other options, dodgems, towers, etc.

Also a flying theatre would be pretty cool, anyone for Soarin' over Staffordshire?

Yeah that would be pretty cool. Not everyone is lucky enough to get over to America so it would be pretty unique for the UK.

I think they could easily get Sub Terra sorted out too. The concept was excellent I thought it was just badly executed. Get somebody in there to fit a reliable drop tower system in and get it back open I say. Maybe a slight adjustment to the story etc but nothing too much. The actor bit for me was it's biggest downfall. You didn't need them because the ride itself (when it worked correctly) was more than good enough. Maybe just a well thought out pre-show on a big screen with some moody lighting etc would have been enough. The scare maze bit at the end was a bit random too. It wasn't needed.
 
Could I request anything with a flipping roof.
Towers lacks sheltered attractions.
Nothing like a roof for half an hour on a rainy midweek theme park day.

Agreed. I was a big fan of the Black Hole. It was clearly a budget version of Space Mountain but for the budget it had I think they did a great job.

Would love to get something back on the park along those lines.
 
There are a good range of coasters at the park already so I would be happy to see focus moved to investing in greater range of attractions.

The fact that a park the size of Alton Towers doesn't have any form of permanent show venue is ridiculous and I would like to see a big focus on entertainment to help balance things away from a day at the park being coaster after coaster after coaster.

Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if SW9 is some kind of coaster\water ride hybrid. The park could do with a new water ride and large investments at towers are pretty much always roller coasters.

If Merlin are to stick to the 4yr investment cycle then a planning application for a new coaster would most likely need to be made in the first half of this season, so it might not be too much longer a wait to find out.
 
There are a good range of coasters at the park already so I would be happy to see focus moved to investing in greater range of attractions.

The fact that a park the size of Alton Towers doesn't have any form of permanent show venue is ridiculous and I would like to see a big focus on entertainment to help balance things away from a day at the park being coaster after coaster after coaster.

Having said that I wouldn't be surprised if SW9 is some kind of coaster\water ride hybrid. The park could do with a new water ride and large investments at towers are pretty much always roller coasters.

If Merlin are to stick to the 4yr investment cycle then a planning application for a new coaster would most likely need to be made in the first half of this season, so it might not be too much longer a wait to find out.

I generally find stage shows to be ultimate cheese personally. They are so corny and over the top. I fail to see why they are so popular. Disney kind of get away with theirs because they are usually based around much loved IP's and characters. Those I kind of get. However I don't want to sit in a UK theme park and watch a generic 'Wild West show' or something along those lines. It just doesn't work for me with our culture and is probably why they don't exist anymore. Taste I would call it. Americans love all that fake stuff.

The only exception to this for me was the Knights jousting show at Camelot. Now that was a show worth watching over and over. It was exciting and entertaining as it didn't rely on cheesy scripts and awkward dance routines. It was a jousting contest and felt real.
 
I don't see Towers building any new water rides in the near future honestly. I think it would be better for them to give the rapids a proper refurbishment first.

An indoor family coaster like the Black Hole would be a great addition to the park. Maybe a Mack spinner for when they remove Spinball eventually?
 
I don't see Towers building any new water rides in the near future honestly. I think it would be better for them to give the rapids a proper refurbishment first.

An indoor family coaster like the Black Hole would be a great addition to the park. Maybe a Mack spinner for when they remove Spinball eventually?

They won't be spending a penny on the rapids until the hearing and verdict comes through for Drayton. Absolutely no chance. It will remain a non event for a good while yet which is a shame but totally understandable.

Would love them to build a new indoor coaster for the next SW. Would help with the noise complaints etc too.
 
They won't be spending a penny on the rapids until the hearing and verdict comes through for Drayton. Absolutely no chance. It will remain a non event for a good while yet which is a shame but totally understandable.

Would love them to build a new indoor coaster for the next SW. Would help with the noise complaints etc too.

I agree there's little chance of them spending money on the rapids, I imagine the park sees it as a potential liability since Drayton's incident. That's just what I'd personally do if I owned the place.
 
I would personally like them to use a SW capex to work on Oblivion - floorless trains and extend/ rework the track after the tunnel. I think this kind of investment would still engage customers as much as a new SW.

With some of the remaining money:
- Add a family flat ride to the canyon.
- Add a proper thrill flat to the dark forest
 
Improving on the quality of their product, bulking out the park with flat rides and perhaps a dark ride, and committing to varied and good quality events throughout the year would do more to keep me coming back for the next 10 years than any number of new coasters
 
I would personally like them to use a SW capex to work on Oblivion - floorless trains and extend/ rework the track after the tunnel. I think this kind of investment would still engage customers as much as a new SW.
I'm still not convinced floorless trains add anything to a ride other than additional load/wait time. Extension of Oblivion doesn't strike me as particularly attractive given the potential cost. Flipping (or modifying) the trains to run backwards feels like the easiest / most effective win.

Wicker Man shows that they can do very effective things with a medium sized/costed coaster if it's presented and marketed in the right way. Disney have been doing it for decades, after all.
 
Although I love the coasters I'd rather they improve the general offering. I'd like to see decent dark rides and some new flat rides. I would also like a decent 3D show in a theatre with proper seating (unlike Ice Age). Just more variety really to provide greater appeal to families and those that don't do coasters.
 
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