This year was the first year I visited Alton Towers as much as I have done. I'd like to add my two cents chronologically if you don't mind:
This year started off badly when the bad weather caught Alton Towers and large groups of guests had to be sent home as none of the rides were able to operate. I managed a visit to Alton Towers on the second day of half term, and though it was cold, freezing and not very warm I enjoyed my day. I had good company and the staff seemed to be in a very good mood.
When I came later in the season I visited during the easter half term, this was very very busy. In fact I'd say it was the worst trip of the year for me. All I managed was Ice Age 4D, and a couple of flat rides before coming home cold and wet. As far as Ice Age goes, I like the theming, the effects that they've used and the staff are very jolly, but I feel as though it's just not enough to make me want to come back again.
Having read bad reports of Sub Terra when it first opened, I decided to leave it until a later visit to experience what lies beneath Nemesis. As far as rides go, it is very scary, I naturally do not like horror mazes, and for me it was a really good, slightly different addition to the line up. Sub Terra is a talking point ride. I liked the fact that staff seem to take on a role, the fact that they had themed uniform and the ability to have some banter with their customers. I’d say it is a good investment, but it’s not sustainable. The cost of extra actors must be very high, and it will cost more to run on a long term basis. I’d say that it was the park’s white elephant. It’s a great ride, just one that will date badly and won’t last. So as much as I love it now, I won’t love it as much as I love 13 now. It won’t improve with age, it will decline.
As far as part time staff go at Alton Towers, I have not one issue whatsoever. Every member of staff I have spoken to has been in a good mood, or civil and polite. I understand working in retail myself that it is hard to smile all day long, but nobody has ever been rude and most of the time staff are great.
I am very fortunate in that I have an annual pass so I have no need to do all the rides in one day, I visited with my sister for her birthday at the height of the staggered openings. This really ruined a trip to Alton Towers, hanging about like a wazzock waiting for the next ride to open, leaving whole areas of the park half ridden. I am very grateful for Merlin for undoing these cuts which just seemed ridiculous, and frankly should have never happened in the first place.
The time I visited when the Skyride wasn’t open (Reduced sky ride times anyone or even closed midweek?) just seemed a tad bizarre. A lot of people were asking why they’d closed it, and again Merlin’s cuts don’t help create a good company image, especially when people are paying as much as they are to get in. I remember almost grimacing when I saw some of the social networking posts from angry customers.
As far as marketing goes, this year’s marketing hasn’t grabbed me the way in which THORPE PARK’S has, the Fantastical Express seemed half hearted, SW7 needs a hashtag, and I miss the days of bring a gnome and get in free! At the same time the Sub Terra advert was a piece of art and the Ice Age marketing worked well enough to get hour long queues for what is in essence a cinema!
Is this the beginning of a downward spiral? It depends in what way you want to view it. I’d say that yes, the park does need some love and attention and that whilst it is great that we have two new attractions this year, older parts of the park such as toilets, theming pieces on large rollercoasters falling to bits and a general ‘that’ll do’ attitude has taken over the park. I’m not entirely sure how Rita’s cable snapped, but the new tunnel underneath it looks awful.
Am I still a happy customer? Yes, because deep down I love that place to bits, and long after Merlin have been sold on, Alton Towers will still have the same bit of magic. It may not be the same drop of magic I experienced the first day I went, but promotions like ‘Win your dinner by guessing a number’ or seeing a pirate dance along to Justin Bieber will always make me smile.
If you said to me is Alton Towers on a downward spiral? I’d say they’re more a pair of scales, in that for every good thing Merlin do (Sub Terra Version 2.0, Ice Age Meet and Greets) they seem to be able to undo their good work (Do I need to give you examples?) which makes being an Alton Towers enthusiast more of a bumpy ride than Corkscrew in its final days.
Just my two cents anyway.