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2014: General Discussion

I dont know if anyone else has noticed the queue time boards often flicking to an advert for a premium rate text competition (like on TV shows) to win an annual pass. I know thats not hugely intrusive but it just feels everywhere you could possibly look you are being sold things and in some cases really quite aggressively! It actually puts me off wanting to part with money, and not just because its Alton Towers - I would actually feel the same way anywhere just out of principle.
 
This is the point I have been making, and raised now along with @Rob multiple times, you REMIND me constantly you want my money and don't give me chance to relax enough to WANT to spend it.

By being in my face, all you do is keep reminding me how much everything costs, the fact I didn't pay to enter to be constantly sold to, the fact the quality is deteriorating with the price increase, and lastly

IT IS RUDE AND INTRUSIVE!
 
By the way just to clarify, what I meant in my post was there were staff selling the ride photopasses as people were coming through the entrance (which I didn't think made any sense considering no one had even stepped foot in the park let alone seen a single ride) and then immediately following that the Towers Street "stand closer together and get in the picture for me guys" brigade.

Come to think of it, are the photo passes actually worthwhile at the moment considering the photos are all currently £5 each??
 
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I'd argue Blackpool can be considerably worse than Towers for upselling photos, as proven last year in September when a small group of us were essentially harassed by the bloody beavers and their minders to having a photo with them!

People do sadly buy these photos at Towers, as numerous of my friends have proven and then plastered it as their cover photo on Facebook. Half the time, the background isn't even remotely nice either (something like the Towers or the frog fountains would be lovely). Instead, they stick them all facing the wall at the top of Towers Street and then charge extortionate prices for it.

Whenever one of these camera wombles thrusts their lens into my face, I think I'm going to start saying "yes please" before proceeding to take an image of them with mine. I could probably build up quite an amusing collection of confused camera minions to occupy my spare time.
 
That's one thing that annoys me too... the photos are taken in really ugly places. No attempt whatsoever to have a pretty background.

You're paying for a photo taken by someone with no expertise in photography, with a path and random people in the background and with little to no editing after.

I guess people are happy to pay so much for so little. But more fool them.
 
Something I've found strange with the camera people is they usually harass me when I'm by myself. I sort-of understand the mentality of buying a photo if you're part of a group (I've been guilty of that in the past), but why the hell would I pay around £8 for a photo of me looking like I have no friends?
 
ryanlovesaltontowers said:
Bringing the discussion back ground to the monorails, I really really can't stand the stations at the moment;
Not one telly works right, and it just reminds me of one of those council car parks you just can't wait to get out of. Perhaps they should theme them to match the signs used around the station (car park) that vintage explorer type style, not too dissimilar to the Alton Towers Hotel, add some themed lighting replace the plexiglass skylights and give it a nice colour scheme and it would instantly look so much more 'premium' than the 80's mess they are today!
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In fairness the platform area of the Towers Street station is nice with some stylish lighting and the exterior with its tall glazed windows is reasonably aesthetically pleasing even 25/30 years on.

The car park station I will agree is an ugly mess and gives a bad first impression.
 
all this reminds me of a brief exchange of mr Hammond and his lawyer in Jurassic park. Mr Hammond wants to charge little, but the lawyer (looking after investment people) doesn't.

merlin do seem just to be turning away the riff raff like basil fawlty
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
In fairness the platform area of the Towers Street station is nice with some stylish lighting and the exterior with its tall glazed windows is reasonably aesthetically pleasing even 25/30 years on.

The car park station I will agree is an ugly mess and gives a bad first impression.
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I think the opposite, I quite like the car park station with it's almost Swiss chalet like style. But the entrance station is just white painted walls and just feels nasty.
 
I think I hate the TS monorail station more than the car park station, because of the worst cattle pen EVER CREATED!
 
You hardly ever spend time in the Monorail cattlepen unless the park is verging on Fireworks level of crowds. Rita's cattlepen endurance is more frequent with a lower level of guests in attendance.
 
Both stations looks fine on the outside. It's the inside where it gets ugly. The hotels station feels cold, dark, damp and pretty much like your local council car park. Not warm or inviting at all. The Towers Street station is far better admittedly, although when leaving the park on the busy day and you end up in the open cattlepen it starts to feel like a dark, cold, damp council car park again.

On the bright side at least they repaint the interiors every one or two years.

I wonder whether some kind of unique theme could work for both stations. Nothing too over the top. Just something classy and welcoming. If the floors were sorted, more TVs added (and ones that work all the time too), new handrails, walls with artworks/pieces of theming attached etc.. I really think it would add a lot and make your entrance and exit from Alton Towers a little nicer.
 
Just been today and was wondering if it is general tree logging going on behind Oblivion? Or is it for something more? Doubt it like due to the access road being in the way plus it backs onto Farley Lane. Just wondered. :)
 
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