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2014: General Discussion
- Thread starter Alastair
- Start date
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
It should be open at 10, but it was usually closer to quarter past when it was finally ready to run with guests on. I think it depends a lot on how much setup is needed though. I believe that if the winds are forecast to be low through the night they will sometimes leave all the gondolas out on the cable, so in the morning it's just a case of starting up and checking it is running properly, as oppose to getting them all out and onto the cable, which is a very time consuming process.
John
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Every single person with walking difficulties/a disability should complain about the skyride opening late, it's simply not acceptable to have it closed unnecessarily. Sub Terra being on the list is not surprising though, it requires a huge number of staff and isn't a particularly popular ride, on off-peak days it struggles to get enough guests to fill each cycle.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
I think the whole thing makes perfect sense. Ripsaw is a water ride, so straight away it wont be popular first thing, Sub-Terra requires alot of staff and also relies on guest interaction and people's reactions so it's much better to have a full ride's worth of people, exactly the same can be said for Hex.
Skyride requires a huge amount of staff too. Didn't it used to not open on weekdays in off peak periods anyway? In terms of people with walking difficulties, it is only closed for an hour, so what's the big fuss? It's not like this is preventing people from accessing parts of the park.
Overall, I think this is a wise decision from the park. I'd actually support them opening even more rides late at off peak times. Chances are that on very busy days in July, august and October these rides will open at 10 anyway.
Skyride requires a huge amount of staff too. Didn't it used to not open on weekdays in off peak periods anyway? In terms of people with walking difficulties, it is only closed for an hour, so what's the big fuss? It's not like this is preventing people from accessing parts of the park.
Overall, I think this is a wise decision from the park. I'd actually support them opening even more rides late at off peak times. Chances are that on very busy days in July, august and October these rides will open at 10 anyway.
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
Opening the Skyride at 11am is just plain stupid and clearly isn't going to go down well with guests. They will get away with not opening the likes of Sub-Terra and Ripsaw at 10am, but the Skyride is an essential mode of transport around the park. No doubt they will just reverse the decision once guests start complaining.
AstroDan
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Enter Valhalla said:
Sorry?
You'd actively support the park opening more and more rides late? Why?!? Are off peak guests second class?
I don't get you. At all.
You talk of it (Skyride) only being closed for 1 hour - but remember many guests enter from 9am...
D4n
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Zadra
Hex, opened at 9am last season, now opens at 11am?
Sub-Terra, one of the newest rides in the park, opens at 11am?
Skyride, the only means of park transportation, closed when it's most needed?
... Battle Galleons, a ridiculously over-the-top water ride that never has a queue ever, opens at 10am.
Battle Galleons, Ripsaw, Twirling Toadstool, Duel would have made much more sense to me if these changes are 'necessary' (which, of course, they're not. It's disgusting). Ah well.
Sub-Terra, one of the newest rides in the park, opens at 11am?
Skyride, the only means of park transportation, closed when it's most needed?
... Battle Galleons, a ridiculously over-the-top water ride that never has a queue ever, opens at 10am.
Battle Galleons, Ripsaw, Twirling Toadstool, Duel would have made much more sense to me if these changes are 'necessary' (which, of course, they're not. It's disgusting). Ah well.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
AstroDan said:
Yes I would. If it made business sense. This does, so I support it.
What don't you get about that?! :/
I dont get it either sorry Enter Valhalla. Off peak or not, if I was a pyaing guest and visiting on a Monday, or a Saturday, i'd expect to have the same choice of rides available to me on both days.
If I was paying 50% less to enter on an off peak day then fair enough, but people arent, they are paying the same sky high price as a peak day - so why should they have less rides available to them throughout the day????
If I was paying 50% less to enter on an off peak day then fair enough, but people arent, they are paying the same sky high price as a peak day - so why should they have less rides available to them throughout the day????
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
I would say because ride openings should be based on demand. If the demand isn't there then why waste loads of money on staff and make it harder for the Technical teams to get these rides open for 10am when people simply wont be using them. In the same way that shows at parks are performed less on off peak days, there's less demand.
I certainly don't think off peak guests are less important particularly since about 90% of my theme park visits take place on off peak days, but I've often walked past rides such as Battle Galleons (which I agree would have been a better choice for late openings) and Sub Terra and seen literally NOBODY on them except for the 5-10 staff all hanging around get paid to do nothing. I have commented at the time "why on earth is this open so early"
In the first hour of park operation only a fraction of the total day guests are in the park and virtually all will stay past 11am so will have the option of riding later if they wish. I certainly wouldn't support rides closing early because guests may miss the opportunity. But opening late, I have no problem with this. I want the park to continue to be a financial success so having more sensible, focused hours on a tiny number of their attractions is a decision which I whole heartedly support.
I certainly don't think off peak guests are less important particularly since about 90% of my theme park visits take place on off peak days, but I've often walked past rides such as Battle Galleons (which I agree would have been a better choice for late openings) and Sub Terra and seen literally NOBODY on them except for the 5-10 staff all hanging around get paid to do nothing. I have commented at the time "why on earth is this open so early"
In the first hour of park operation only a fraction of the total day guests are in the park and virtually all will stay past 11am so will have the option of riding later if they wish. I certainly wouldn't support rides closing early because guests may miss the opportunity. But opening late, I have no problem with this. I want the park to continue to be a financial success so having more sensible, focused hours on a tiny number of their attractions is a decision which I whole heartedly support.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
Danza91 said:
Are you seriously trying to tell me that having 6 rides opening late means that you will get on less? I'm sorry but I simply don't believe you. You can go on those 6 rides any time you like after 11am. Before 11am you may be going on different rides but this certainly isn't reducing the number of rides you get on in a day, it just means you do them in a different order and have to plan your day a little differently.
Sam
TS Member
Enter Valhalla said:
You're completely missing the point, unsurprisingly. Your argument would be valid when talking about actual rides and other attractions like Battle Galleons or the SEALIFE. But the Skyride is not a 'ride' in the same sense. It is something that few guests will plan to go on as an attraction in its own right, that they can just delay until later in the day like any other ride. It is a mode of transport around the park, that allows people to skip the quite considerable distance between the park's many areas.
The argument 'oh you can do something else until it opens' isn't valid for the Skyride as it would be for other rides, as it (and the monorail) simply don't serve the same function as the other rides do. Given the size of the park, they are both very important for ambulant guests. But they are vital for some disabled guests, who simply wouldn't be able to see the whole park without them. The Skyride is not a 'ride' in the sense that Nemesis and Oblivion are. It is a key part of the infrastructure of the park in the way that the toilets and Guest Services are, and therefore should be open for the entire time the park is open.
Enter Valhalla
TS Member
I guess so, although didn't Skyride used to close all day on off peak days? I'm sure there was a time.
Like I said I think Battle Galleons would have been a better choice than Skyride for late openings. Then again when you think about the number of staff on Skyride and how few guests use it in the first hour this may not be a bad decision. Alton Towers, like all Merlin parks, have to keep track of hourly throughputs. If their throughputs for last year show that Skyride wasn't used much in the first hour, then maybe this was worth doing. I don't know, of course if they used this method to come to the decision to open it later, but I dare say they weigh up cost of opening vs. volume of people using the ride to come to a decision.
As for late openings in general, I was less in favour of last year's proposal. This new proposal of late openings will have minimal effect on guests' enjoyment of the park (apart from, maybe, Skyride) so I see no problem.
Like I said I think Battle Galleons would have been a better choice than Skyride for late openings. Then again when you think about the number of staff on Skyride and how few guests use it in the first hour this may not be a bad decision. Alton Towers, like all Merlin parks, have to keep track of hourly throughputs. If their throughputs for last year show that Skyride wasn't used much in the first hour, then maybe this was worth doing. I don't know, of course if they used this method to come to the decision to open it later, but I dare say they weigh up cost of opening vs. volume of people using the ride to come to a decision.
As for late openings in general, I was less in favour of last year's proposal. This new proposal of late openings will have minimal effect on guests' enjoyment of the park (apart from, maybe, Skyride) so I see no problem.
Ben
TS Founding Member
- Favourite Ride
- Your Dad
Enter Valhalla said:
It was once semi-announced by the park, but such was the backlash from guest on social media that they performed one of many u-turns and said it was only a suggestion and dropped that plan.
I expect a u-turn upon this u-turn of the original u-turn.