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Queue lines

Ethan

TS Member
Queue lines. Things that everyone who goes to Alton towers have to endure (unless virtual queueing does come into place then I might make myself look a bit silly posting this thread!). As all of us know, there is some brilliant queue lines at Alton towers, but also some awful ones. So I'm going to rank the queue lines for the main coasters based on appearance, detail such as theming and just general atmosphere. Feel free to give your opinion too.
1. Wicker man- Now this really is a brilliant queue line. I've always liked it and love the atmosphere and loud noises such as the music and chain lift! Some nice touches in terms of theming in there too.
2. The smiler- Now this is definitely a controversial one. Yes it needs a good clean (not just the queue but the ride in general) but the views you get from underneath the ride is incredible and its a unique experience that not many queue lines can give you.
3. Nemesis- I've always been a fan of this queue line too. With the extension of the top end of the ride being open now due to social distancing, it has provided some pretty rare and unique views of the lift hill and drop, something that I'd never seen before until last season.
4. Galactica- I love how the back end of this queue is hidden away in the trees. Like Nemesis, the terrain helps provide some pretty unique views of the ride and its nicely presented too, with the queue always been clean and in good condition.
5. Oblivion- The best thing about this queue is the views you get across x sector and particularly onto the smiler. Apart from that its just ok. Quite annoying when you have to go around the whole queue if it is walk on but at least you get to listen to that awesome soundtrack on the way round!
6. Th13teen- I've never particularly liked this queue. Completely hidden away in the forest, but there's no theming or anything in the woods, its just some woods. Therefore its pretty dull standing in a long wait for this ride when you get no glimpses of it and all you can do is listen to some girl screaming and counting to 13!
7. Rita- This has to be worst queue line out of the big coasters for me. Absolute cattle pen with nothing about it whatsoever. Don't like it and never have done
 
4. Galactica- I love how the back end of this queue is hidden away in the trees. Like Nemesis, the terrain helps provide some pretty unique views of the ride and its nicely presented too, with the queue always been clean and in good condition.

It has not always been this tidy - particularly in the Air days of the 2002 & 2003 seasons. Air suffered frequent "technical anomalies" as Towers likes to call them - i.e. breakdowns. The entire queueline became festooned with graffiti & phone numbers. Then there was the infamous "Gum Tree".

The most notable phone number on the queueline fence was the personal mobile number of the MD of a major entertainment / music / film company. He kept on getting calls asking for what the press have to call a "sex act". He eventually worked out the calls were coming from the Air queueline & got the company lawyers onto Towers. One day all the ride staff from most of the park had to stay behind after ride close to scour the queueline for the offending number & no-one was going home until it was found and removed. We can only assume a disgruntled employee / ex-employee had visited Towers with a marker pen!

Towers had to add all the extra height caging-in fencing of the queuline on the mound where it faces the ride in the element where it goes from flying on your back to diving into the tunnel on your front. Basically guests were just climbing & jumping the fence when the ride broke down and walking through the ride area. Took an age to do restarts as you had to fully check the ride area.
 
Hate queuing at the post office or supermarket, but queuing at AT has never bothered me, because I love the atmosphere and watching the rides.

Besides, the alternative would be being in Barnsley.
 
I've already had to remove several off topic posts. I know it's been a long closed season but there's still conversation to be had. :)

Personally, I don't like cattle pen queue lines as a rule, unless they're particularly fast moving (Fjord Rafting/Schweizer Bobbahn at Europa for instance), so a more interesting queue route like Nemesis and Wickerman, which also offer good views of the ride, are far more up my street.
 
The queue for Wicker Man is easily the best one Merlin have done at Towers. It does have those switchbacks close to the beginning, but the fact the rest of the queue is so much more interesting and goes around more of the ride area really makes up for it.
 
For me TH13TEEN is the worse queue, it's the only one I've bailed on multiple times even when I had VIP fastrack, smiler I've only ever attempted main queue once (first thing opening day).
 
I don't mind queuing for Nemesis or Wicker Man at all - they both have fairly pleasant queue lines.

Spinball's is normally rubbish because it moves slowly, but I really enjoyed waiting for it last season. Social distancing made the queue feel as though it was moving quickly and the views of the ride are perfectly pleasant.

Oblivion's and Galactica's are fine, assuming that they are moving quickly.

Th13teen and Rita dull.

Smiler's queue line is hellish. Possibly the worst I have experienced at any park - it's almost a shame that I think the ride itself is decent because I shudder thinking about the number of hours I've spent down there.
 
It depends if I'm looking at queue lines in their current state or the way they were designed originally. Because I loved Oblivion when it was clean and new but it's now in an unacceptable state. Nemesis was excellent when it still had red water and when you could queue around the top of the pit back in the 90's. Still good today mind you when you go down into the pit.

Best landscaped is Rapids. For past rides I have fond memories of Charlie and Black Hole indoor queue lines and I always enjoyed the Flume queue.



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Nemesis best 'landscape' coaster queueline in the country, not best for theming but the routing and views
Wicker Man very good too, just less interesting landscape than the quarry around Nemesis

Smiler the worst queueline ever built in the world?
 
The thing I dislike about the Smiler queue is how you’re surrounded by people at every angle. For me personally it makes me feel claustrophobic and really anxious especially when you don’t feel like you’re moving much.

Same with Rita, I feel like I can breathe again once the cattle pen goes up straight. Sound like a weirdo I know. :(
 
The original flume queue was a horror, cattlepen, bigger cattlepen, then bridge...baking in the sun.
The change to a wander round the last drop made it so much nicer.
Cattlepens are fine, for cattle.
 
I personally love how the smilers queue is in a pit below the ride. I will agree with you it looks a bit messy and needs a clean (then again so does the whole ride). You can't deny tho the views and looking up at the ride is amazing. Some bits of the queue do feel a little claustrophobic but the open parts aren't bad. Absolutely love the music and atmosphere too, I know that may be controversial because for most the music seems to send them mad! Not that I'm a fan of the HA HA HA bits but I love the beat sections
 
The original flume queue was a horror, cattlepen, bigger cattlepen, then bridge...baking in the sun.
The change to a wander round the last drop made it so much nicer.
Cattlepens are fine, for cattle.

I remember the original Log Flume cattle-pen queue well. The old cable car with open-sided 4 seater cable cars passed right over it. If you managed to smuggle some water onto it undetected by the staff [in their lovely green & yellow uniforms] you could cool down some of the guests in the cattle pen queue.....
 
Crush's Coaster would like a word. Seemingly endless catlepens, a themeless marquee and a hot day, Yes the station is nice but at least with Smiler you move and can see the ride.
This! I was just about to say the same. Nothing says Disney magic like a massive cattle pen in the shadow of a corrugated warehouse. Rock and Roller Coaster is also like queueing to get inside your local Costco.

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Hex's queueline I think deserves a mention! Of course the queue is never (in my experience) particularly long but the amount of themeing within the indoor queueline is amazing.

I will absolutely agree that Rita's queueline is the worst, but honestly I don't mind the smiler's that much since its in and amongst the ride, giving great views of it. The indoor section definitely needs improvement though, the illusions are almost always broken and sometimes a blue error screen is even projected. If the smiler were ever to have a big refresh I'd much prefer sanctuary-esque videos to elaborate the back story of the ministry of joy. The smiler has so much potential to have more themeing.

Another one that needs improving is spinball, how many years has it been since the games have worked?? Disappointing that they havent been fixed because ultimately it doesnt seem like a major job? (But what do I know haha)

Most importantly though, bring back SRQ's!!
 
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