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2017: General Discussion

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I wonder if you still get one of those wristbands? Doesn't sound like it, does it? Would be nice if you could get a physical free ticket (within the specified dates) for completing it, which I definitely would not sell on Ebay for a few quid. How about if you've got a crappy phone with no data etc to track your progress etc? You can't do the challenge without a new-ish phone?
 
Rob said:
As for The Smiler, it is great to have it open again however the whole thing is a total state. It's Towers newest major coaster yet it looks like their oldest. It has to go down as one of the worst designed projects in the history of theme parks.

:)
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I agree with your general point but that's a bit of an exaggeration surely. It was designed fairly well (queue line being the exception) it's just been maintained badly.
 
andeyhart said:
I agree with your general point but that's a bit of an exaggeration surely. It was designed fairly well (queue line being the exception) it's just been maintained badly.
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No, not at all. The whole project was a total farce due to the total lack of planning and forward thinking (thankfully Towers realise this and are far more prepared for SW8). Yes it has been maintanted badly but it is not helped by poor design; many of the materials used are just not durable, the projection mapping room was clearly not thought through as it had endless reliability issues, exposed concrete left right and centre get dirty very easily and some of it is in places that are not exactly easy to clean. Yes the design of the coaster in terms of fitting all of that track into the space was impressive but the fact it is trying to rip itself out of the ground is less so. I noticed yesterday that one of the footers near to the shop has had some sort of work done to it.

I have always said that pretty much every issue that The Smiler has endured can be traced back one way or another to how poor the planning and design process for the ride was.

:)
 
MattyH said:
So the big 6 challenge is comming back, who'd thunk it? https://www.altontowers.com/big-six-challenge

As in 2015, download the app, take on the challenge complete the challenge.

However, this time you get to come back on weekdays between 6th and 30th September.
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I know it hasn't officially started but my 9 year old daughter did the big 6 both on Saturday and Sunday

And I must admit I'm very proud of her hence me feeling the need to type this reply!
 
Towerslover said:
Was there Merch available in towers street last time for the big six?
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Yes, there were pens, keyrings, T-Shirts and Hoodies as far as I can remember. May have been a couple of other bits I've forgotten about. I still have a pen and keyring and I think I have a Hoodie (still with tags) in the wardrobe. Oh yeah, also have a load of unused wristbands too :)
 
No map discount on the santa sleep over packages this year :(

We loved it last year but it's £235 for a room at ATH sure it was around £180 when I booked last year
 
Designed for 5 but runs 3 is like my car being designed for 48 bhp and running 28.8. Stupid and pointless.
 
To be fair, 4 would be enough as it's impossible to dispatch quickly enough to get any meaningful benefit out of a 5th. Three is awful though as capacity is woefully insufficient and the queue is a misery as a result.
 
Rob said:
No, not at all. The whole project was a total farce due to the total lack of planning and forward thinking (thankfully Towers realise this and are far more prepared for SW8). Yes it has been maintanted badly but it is not helped by poor design; many of the materials used are just not durable, the projection mapping room was clearly not thought through as it had endless reliability issues, exposed concrete left right and centre get dirty very easily and some of it is in places that are not exactly easy to clean. Yes the design of the coaster in terms of fitting all of that track into the space was impressive but the fact it is trying to rip itself out of the ground is less so. I noticed yesterday that one of the footers near to the shop has had some sort of work done to it.

I have always said that pretty much every issue that The Smiler has endured can be traced back one way or another to how poor the planning and design process for the ride was.

:)
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Fair points and I'd agree. But worst in any theme park ever? That's the bit I think was an exaggeration. I can think of several worse examples of badly executed ride projects.

I think what I meant to say in my original post is that the the idea and concept was good, and the ride itself is still good and despite everything is still very well received. So in that respect, the main objective worked. The execution was bad and that was undoubtedly down to poor planning, which in turn caused the ride to have so many unforeseen problems in its opening season. Although its reliability has improved hugely since the start of 2014 bar the crash (where the blame is solely at Merlin's door, not The Smiler itself).
 
andeyhart said:
Fair points and I'd agree. But worst in any theme park ever? That's the bit I think was an exaggeration. I can think of several worse examples of badly executed ride projects.

I think what I meant to say in my original post is that the the idea and concept was good, and the ride itself is still good and despite everything is still very well received. So in that respect, the main objective worked. The execution was bad and that was undoubtedly down to poor planning, which in turn caused the ride to have so many unforeseen problems in its opening season. Although its reliability has improved hugely since the start of 2014 bar the crash (where the blame is solely at Merlin's door, not The Smiler itself).
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That is why I said one of the worst! ;)

I agree though, I love the overall theme and concept for The Smiler. That along with the marketing was very well thought out.

:)
 
When I went to Towers on opening day, there were alot of people vaping and it was getting on my nerves. I wonder if Towers will implement a vaping rule like the smoking rule where they have designated areas instead of smoking in pathways and queuelines. I'm suprised no one on any AT forum has picked up on the Vaping problem yet.
 
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