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2018: General Discussion

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.....But then its closed season, you know what type of threads get posted on here during that time, my air freshener doesn't mask the smell.
 
The staggered openings have been scrapped for May half term with Enterprise and Oblivion joining Wicker Man and the usual Cbeebies rides on ERT instead of Spinball Whizzer. Cuckoo Cars, Gallopers and Frog Hopper are also on ERT and Duel, RMT and Congo River Rapids are the only 11am openings.
 
This is literally just for May half term though. As soon as that's over it's back to the usual procedure.

Hopefully it's a test to see if they can make it work during summer holidays and beyond.

In saying that, I don't see any reason to get excited that the park are now deciding to open their rides when the park opens - that's how it should be!
 
Good on AT! Lets hope it works well and they can prove to the merlin guys upstairs it works to keep their customers happy! !

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Yeah I have absolutely no doubt that this is just going to be for May half term, as afterwards Spinball returns to ERT, and yes I agree this is just the way it should be anyway, but it felt like we’d never get to this stage again, so any major improvement now, is well, ‘better than nothing’;)
 
Fantastic news, must praise Alton up directly on their FB page. This is how the park should be operating. Hopefully that these ride times will operate for the rest of the season.

Just need the ERT to return to an hour.

At the end of the day, if they continue to have these awful opening times, then they will only end up losing more money over lost customers than what they will have saved in the reduce hours.
 
Well they are advertising two maintenance job positions. One electrical and one mechanical.
Hopefully this show staggered opening was a stop gap till HR filled the two postions.

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So let me get this right, rides normally open at 10, 10.30 and 11 and this we call staggered opening and get our knickers in a twist over it?

But the park add a couple things to ERT, open some stuff at 10, and then others at 11, and that's now not staggered openings?

You know, call me an angry old fart, but if any ride officially opens at a later time than when the park opens, then that's still staggered opening in my book.
 
but its only rapids mine train and duel at 11, and who gives too hoots about them, dont see anyone legging it from the turnstiles to get there early
 
We've gone from DF, CCL, FV, GW and KC rides all opening at 11 (a total of 12 rides, many of them major) to KC and GW rides opening at 11 with everything else at 10, complain all you want but that's a major improvement and better than last year too.

I'd heard rumours they were going to improve the staggered opening situation but had expected it to return to last year's levels of late openings with either Dark Forest/CCL/Hex or FV/GW/KC rides opening at 11. My only concern is that they'll struggle to achieve this as it will require major changes to staffing levels to get so many rides open an hour earlier.
 
Almost there ... :rolleyes:
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Maybe still staggered openings, but Dark Forest was opening at 10:30 last year so this is already better! and yeah, can't see anyone rushing to any of the three rides, rapids opened at 11 before staggered opening was properly introduced anyway, so unless you're a massive fan of RMT or Duel (which is always walk on anyway) it's not really a concern. Four major coasters opening at 11, is.
 
Smiler and Thirteen are both now open apparently. Frog Hopper's still shut, but frankly I'm amazed they've put that area on ERT anyway.

This is a major step forward if they can keep it up. I'd even settle for a more balanced approach where not so many rides open at 10am on quieter days, just as long as it's not as bad as it's been up until now.
 
If they really have to keep doing it, perhaps stagger openings on quiet days, but not weekends, easter, school trip season, summer holidays, scarefest or fireworks. Offpeak days in March, April, May & September they could probably get away with.
 
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