• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

2017: General Discussion

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
I like how that wording from Merlin is absolutely inch perfect for comparative purposes... "within the timescales achieved" basically means that this quality isn't to say, Avatarland purely because it's done in a quicker timeframe...

"We build major projects quicker" they shout, and we respond "really, I couldn't have noticed"...
 
Whenever I see an advert claim "Product X is £n cheaper than Brand Y!" My first thought is not, "oh goody, a bargin!" ... But rather, "Why? What makes Product X so shody that they can sell it that cheap?"
 
I think Nemesis Sub Terra may return; but really it entirely depends on guest volume since the start of the season.

It has clearly increased on 2016, possibly helped by good weather and a less intensive media coverage.

However, it is all on a knife edge.
 
Frankly I hope the guest figures don't revive anywhere near as much as they expect.

They need a (another) kicking or there will never be an incentive to really improve the place.
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Frankly I hope the guest figures don't revive anywhere near as much as they expect.

They need a (another) kicking or there will never be an incentive to really improve the place.
Click to expand...

If the guest figures do not improve, Alton Towers could close. It is nonsensical to "want" guest figures to remain sub-2million.
 
AstroDan said:
It is nonsensical to "want" guest figures to remain sub-2million.
Click to expand...

Did they not manage 2 million in 2016 then?

Call my reasoning naive if you like, but if the place was forced to close Merlin would likely have no other choice but to formulate an extensive regeneration / investment programme to get the park and resort back up to quality standards that are nearer European parks. It's not like they can't afford to.

Failing this they would hopefully offload it to somebody else who may actually care about guest experience, quality etc.....mind it's difficult to see what other operator would be capable of running a park of Alton Towers size with the available capital to invest properly.
 
The last time they took a kicking half a dozen rides closed in the resulting cost-cutting. I don't think things would be any better a second time.
 
Merlin must have ridiculous amounts of money - towers just needs time and investment! More than just a kiddies flat in CBeebies! Surely they can afford more......flat rides please!
 
Whilst I don't like Merlin's cut-throat business attitude of running theme parks, ironically, without Merlin - Alton Towers could already have gone under - such is the impact of the crash.

People seriously underestimate the affect that it has had on the resort.
 
Definitely is it just me but I really miss ripsaw. Basic ride but I enjoyed it and so did my daughter. Perhaps we and some others need to keep commenting this on feedback screens to see if they pay any attention. If merlin can keep pouring money into DBGT surely they can afford an odd flat or two for alton towers and I bet they would draw more intrest and have better reliability.

AstroDan said:
Whilst I don't like Merlin's cut-throat business attitude of running theme parks, ironically, without Merlin - Alton Towers could already have gone under - such is the impact of the crash.

People seriously underestimate the affect that it has had on the resort.
Click to expand...
They had loads of visitors on opening day and weren't prepared how does that make business sense?

Sent from my SM-J320FN using Tapatalk
 
Last edited by a moderator:
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Did they not manage 2 million in 2016 then?

Call my reasoning naive if you like, but if the place was forced to close Merlin would likely have no other choice but to formulate an extensive regeneration / investment programme to get the park and resort back up to quality standards that are nearer European parks. It's not like they can't afford to.

Failing this they would hopefully offload it to somebody else who may actually care about guest experience, quality etc.....mind it's difficult to see what other operator would be capable of running a park of Alton Towers size with the available capital to invest properly.
Click to expand...

If Merlin were forced to close Alton Towers, I doubt it would ever reopen.
 
Me personally I would like to see Towers go under. Even pre-smiler crash the park was never going to be the place it deserved to be under Merlin's ownership.

Years of neglect, bad management, bad planning, bad investments and no real vision for the future had sunk the park. Look at the 10 year LTDP for example. Terrible. That was never going to work out, they haven't got a clue.

No, the only way forwards is downwards. Let the ship sink and get rid of Merlin. A place like Towers isn't going to stay closed once it's on the market, and this is how Pearson/Tussauds acquired it from Broome.

It won't be some small local hot shot who buys it. There are plenty of big firms out there who will have their own ideas and vision when it comes to turning the park around. I'd like to see that.
 
electricBill said:
From their official Merlin Magic Making minisite:

"(Our) primary aim is to raise the bar in terms of innovation and creativity, allowing Merlin to stay ahead of the competition. No other company on the planet delivers projects of such quality, with such value, within the timescales achieved...

We .. produce unrivalled, amazing content for our attractions, build at a speed and value unknown to our competitors..."

By competitors and "no other company on the planet" they obviously suggest Disney. Also internally, to all staff, they mention and compare themselves to Disney very frequently. They very regularly claim their mission statement is to became the global leader in "location based entertainment" and to "beat Disney".

They measure their attendance so that they can make the claim, because whichever way you measure it, they know the connotations of "Second to Disney", don't pretend it doesn't imply quality and general brand gravitas that Merlin havn't actually earnt with their output. They want to be "First" in the world at all costs, in whatever measureable way they can get to first.

Of course we know that their Disney comparisons are a load of rubbish when most their park operations are run so amateurly, the scenic and effects maintenance is done DIY across most parks now, new attractions are always plagued with problems and rely on hefty gimmicks, etc. But then again, Disney seems to be going the corporate route too recently, despite their work being of infinitely better quality.
Click to expand...

Wow, that really is deluded thinking from Merlin Magic Making. Disney? Universal? Mack? Do Merlin really think they are on the same playing field as these companies when it comes to theme park development? They are not even close. Such quality, more like what quality. Their projects looks a wreck not long after opening. Value? Ha, they wish. Value for money is poor and they know it. Timescales? Errr, The Smiler and DBGT say hello! Are they just intentionally trying to have a laugh!? It's a good joke I'll give them that.

The second to Disney thing does bother me. Yes it is a fact and they are free to state it. But come on, once again it is a load of rubbish. Look how many properties they have across the world in comparison to Disney. The guests per property figures of Merlin and Disney must be so far apart. If I went through the latest annual reports of all the major theme park operators and worked out this figure for them all then I wouldn't be surprised to see Merlin behind even Six Flags and/or Cedar Fair, never mind Disney or Universal.

themeparkfan said:
They had loads of visitors on opening day and weren't prepared how does that make business sense?
Click to expand...

What does that have to do with the point in hand?

PeteB said:
Me personally I would like to see Towers go under. Even pre-smiler crash the park was never going to be the place it deserved to be under Merlin's ownership.

Years of neglect, bad management, bad planning, bad investments and no real vision for the future had sunk the park. Look at the 10 year LTDP for example. Terrible. That was never going to work out, they haven't got a clue.

No, the only way forwards is downwards. Let the ship sink and get rid of Merlin. A place like Towers isn't going to stay closed once it's on the market, and this is how Pearson/Tussauds acquired it from Broome.

It won't be some small local hot shot who buys it. There are plenty of big firms out there who will have their own ideas and vision when it comes to turning the park around. I'd like to see that.
Click to expand...

You want to see Towers go under and risk losing the best coaster line up in the UK? Wow. Sure I don't like how things are at Towers but not to the extent that I want the place to close. I really don't think Towers is that attractive to potential buyers at the moment anyway; guest numbers are low due to an event that the park will never be able to shake off, the costs of operating the park are huge, there is a resort that is growing too big for what can really be managed (I wouldn't be surprised to see the further phases of the Enchanted Village scrapped) and as it stands the money made by the park does not pay for the required investments.

I don't like Merlin but Dan is right when he says that under other ownership or if Towers was an idependent park then it may well have never re-opened after what happened with The Smiler. I don't think Merlin are going anywhere and at the same time I cannot see who may wish to buy the park. My only guess would be Wanda.

:)
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top