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2015: Alton Towers Enchanted Village
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
djtruefitt
TS Team
I have never been in there when it's been busy, but I imagine there will be a queue as it's not the biggest area around the bar.
PeteB
TS Member
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- Nemesis
Well busy or not, the bar staff and management at Towers don't seem to understand that 'it's a bar' and people should fill up along the bar area. Instead, they pick a spot (usually in front of a till) and make everyone form a line behind it, causing an obstruction in the floor space. 1 incompetent person serving 3000 guests of course.
Dave
TS Founding Member
I have never seen the staff enforce a queue, people just seem to form one weirdly enough.
siralgenon
TS Member
They've probably been that used to doing it all day
Burbs
TS Team
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- Steel Vengeance
Don't worry, I'm sure we all know what a queue at a bar looks like.
bluesonichd
TS Member
... I randomly walk upto people on park and start queuing behind them...
but anyway thats a little off topic
but anyway thats a little off topic
James
TS Founding Member
Sorry to drag this back up although I had a little stroll around the Enchanted Village Saturday and Monday.
I've been quick to slate this project from the start although I must say in person the place does look far nicer than in pictures. Even the area of the site nearer the hotels (with no forest backdrop) doesn't look all that bad. The lodges in little groups looks good. The main building also looks good. This is definitely a place you'd want to stay in for the summer.
Onto the bad... the main building could do with looking a bit 'different'. It looks too similar to the design of the lodges. It's all a bit 'samey'. The same goes for the lodges, they're all carbon copies, not one slight difference between each group do lodges. The tarmac looks ok, although it could do with being coloured. I think the whole site could do with some theming here and there too, nothing over the top, just have some quirky features here and there to make the place a little more interesting.
Now something which I think is ridiculous, and I'm wondering what idiots worked this out... parking. If you're staying in one of the treehouses (you know those things you need to get a loan out to pay for), your exclusive car parking is no where near your treehouse, and in the ATH car park... Now onto the next problem, the bottom half of the ATH car park is all reserved car parking, and now there is less spaces for standard room guests. This creates a very big parking problem. With no proper car park built near the Enchanted Village either, parking for hotels/lodges guests is a mess. This really need sorting. They need a proper car park built for resort guests, that can keep up with the growing capacity. Shuffling things around in old car parks built in the 90s just doesn't work...
On the whole I think the village is a nice development, but can feel a bit generic here and there, lacking that magic and Alton Towers quirkiness that the hotels have. It certainly has a good foundation, but this needs to be worked on to truly make it live up to the quality of the hotels.
Anyhow, I'm planning on staying in one of the lodges next year for a change, seeing the village in person has made me a little more interested in the place.
Also, the lodges look so magical in the fog!
I've been quick to slate this project from the start although I must say in person the place does look far nicer than in pictures. Even the area of the site nearer the hotels (with no forest backdrop) doesn't look all that bad. The lodges in little groups looks good. The main building also looks good. This is definitely a place you'd want to stay in for the summer.
Onto the bad... the main building could do with looking a bit 'different'. It looks too similar to the design of the lodges. It's all a bit 'samey'. The same goes for the lodges, they're all carbon copies, not one slight difference between each group do lodges. The tarmac looks ok, although it could do with being coloured. I think the whole site could do with some theming here and there too, nothing over the top, just have some quirky features here and there to make the place a little more interesting.
Now something which I think is ridiculous, and I'm wondering what idiots worked this out... parking. If you're staying in one of the treehouses (you know those things you need to get a loan out to pay for), your exclusive car parking is no where near your treehouse, and in the ATH car park... Now onto the next problem, the bottom half of the ATH car park is all reserved car parking, and now there is less spaces for standard room guests. This creates a very big parking problem. With no proper car park built near the Enchanted Village either, parking for hotels/lodges guests is a mess. This really need sorting. They need a proper car park built for resort guests, that can keep up with the growing capacity. Shuffling things around in old car parks built in the 90s just doesn't work...
On the whole I think the village is a nice development, but can feel a bit generic here and there, lacking that magic and Alton Towers quirkiness that the hotels have. It certainly has a good foundation, but this needs to be worked on to truly make it live up to the quality of the hotels.
Anyhow, I'm planning on staying in one of the lodges next year for a change, seeing the village in person has made me a little more interested in the place.
Also, the lodges look so magical in the fog!
I stayed at the enchanted village again last week and really enjoyed it. Agree about the lack of central hub - a small bar would have been nice especially in the summer, but then I suppose many people will bring their own drink etc to the lodges.
Only complaint I have with the lodges is the lack of storage space, especially in the smaller bedroom.
Only complaint I have with the lodges is the lack of storage space, especially in the smaller bedroom.
Error
TS Member
Lodges/treehouses are ok but the scenery or lack of spoils it. I thought it was gonna be something like at centre parks where the lodges are actually amongst the trees and give that all natural enchanted feel.
Instead it's the ATH/SL one side, if you wanna be original or plonked the other side are these lodges if you want to be a hobbit for the night.
Gandalf himself wouldn't be able to conjure up the money to stay in them treehouses, I say treehouses, they aren't even in the trees.
Instead it's the ATH/SL one side, if you wanna be original or plonked the other side are these lodges if you want to be a hobbit for the night.
Gandalf himself wouldn't be able to conjure up the money to stay in them treehouses, I say treehouses, they aren't even in the trees.
I stayed there again last week for 2 nights with people who havent stayed in the lodges before. Reactions were that the lodges were nice, though lacked storage space. However, the biggest complaint was the lack of adequate lighting around them at night. My partners wife even went as far to say she wouldnt feel comfortable walking around there at night on her own.
I tend to agree, those small lights are not adequate along the paths. Some old style street lights may be better to give some light shining down on the path.
I tend to agree, those small lights are not adequate along the paths. Some old style street lights may be better to give some light shining down on the path.
jon81uk
TS Member
I was never expecting them to remain open.
Would much rather be in a proper hotel room at Splash or ATH where your room door opens out onto a warm corridor rather than going straight outside.
Also a lot of the weekday bookings during the Winter are for corportate conferences and using the lodge rooms for these wouldn't be practical either. Better to have two fully open fully staffed hotels than three running badly with minimum staffing.
Would much rather be in a proper hotel room at Splash or ATH where your room door opens out onto a warm corridor rather than going straight outside.
Also a lot of the weekday bookings during the Winter are for corportate conferences and using the lodge rooms for these wouldn't be practical either. Better to have two fully open fully staffed hotels than three running badly with minimum staffing.
Yeah it wouldnt bother me the lodges being closed in the winter either, doubt many people would want to stay in them. Having stayed in them during bad weather a few weeks ago its not nice having to wander back out to get to the main hotels etc. Next time during the winter I will stay in one of the hotels.
James
TS Founding Member
I believe it was always the plan to close the lodges over winter season for part of all of it.
It's a missed opportunity really as they could easily decorate it as a "Christmas Village" and have all sorts of festivities on offer. They could have even added some decorations in each lodge and sold them as premium Christmas lodges.
It's a missed opportunity really as they could easily decorate it as a "Christmas Village" and have all sorts of festivities on offer. They could have even added some decorations in each lodge and sold them as premium Christmas lodges.