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2018: General Discussion

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Matt N said:
The queue times, while they are an indication that the park is popular again and that the cuts might get reversed in 2019, do make me slightly concerned for when we visit for two days in August. I really hope the queues go down a bit before the summer holidays hit! I also hope that WM reopens soon!
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No, not at all, the queue times are not an indication that the park is popular. Gate numbers have always been high on the years that a SW open, and low on the years leading up to a new SW due to people put their trip off until the new SW opens.

The extra queue waiting times have been generated due to poor ride operations, poor opening times, removal of SRQ etc...

We all can live in hope, but I doubt that these cuts will be reversed, they are here to stay. They started implementing cuts after Merlin floated on the stock market. As long as the revenue is up as a result of selling fast track amongst other things, they will continue to make cuts, regardless of guess dissatisfaction.

Wicker Man has reopened today according to the ride times

Alsty said:
Do Towers still do the lunch pass for Wicker Man? Not heard it mentioned in a while since everyone slated it.
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I've not seen it on any of my visits, probable a short lived publicity gimmick (or currently SBNO ;))
 
Alsty said:
Do Towers still do the lunch pass for Wicker Man? Not heard it mentioned in a while since everyone slated it.
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Last weekend the sign was being stored in the baggage room. Not sure how long it's been there or indeed if it is still in there, but it seems to have been quietly removed at any rate.

If they can keep the ride running long enough they don't really need it anyway, Wicker Man is often not even the longest queue in the park according to ridetimes (generally at least one of Smiler and Galactica will be longer for a significant portion of the day at the moment)
 
John said:
Last weekend the sign was being stored in the baggage room. Not sure how long it's been there or indeed if it is still in there, but it seems to have been quietly removed at any rate.

If they can keep the ride running long enough they don't really need it anyway, Wicker Man is often not even the longest queue in the park according to ridetimes (generally at least one of Smiler and Galactica will be longer for a significant portion of the day at the moment)
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Yep, from the main entrance without delays or going into extensions then it's 60-70 minutes, and the queue does seem to move quite quickly when it wants to. It helps IMO that there's not many cattlepen sections, so you do feel like you're progressing through it.
 
It can't just be me that finds it odd that WM isn't even coming close to filling its queue line?

Smiler's queue was 2hrs or more on even vaguely busy days with a whole range of different overspill queues in use throughout the season. I don't think I've seen WM come close to 2hrs when its running well. I'm not complaining as it means riding it in the middle of the day is a genuine option, just seems strangely unpopular for a major coaster in its opening year. On the other hand, maybe it's just a sign that guest numbers are still well down on what they used to get and it's just poor operations that make the park seem busier than it actually is.

STATS TIME:

Smiler historic queue data: https://queue-times.com/parks/1/rides/4640

WM historic queue data: https://queue-times.com/parks/1/rides/5489

Based on queue time alone, Smiler now seems at least as popular, gradually catching WM in the past month or so. Also it's far more reliable but we knew that anyway.
 
New ride or otherwise, the Wickerman has no significant USP that appeals to the standard towers visitor. Forgot coaster buffs who appreciate every coaster for what they are, the run if the mill GP go for the biggest, fastest, loopeiest (is that even a word) ect, quality of the actual ride often doesn't come into it. You only have to look at how Nemesis was eclipsed by Air and now Galactica, yet it's easily the best ride on the park. I guess when you get back with your mates I rode Nemesis 10 times doesn't sound as impressive as I rode the Smiler and Galactica twice each.
 
Ash84 said:
New ride or otherwise, the Wickerman has no significant USP that appeals to the standard towers visitor. Forgot coaster buffs who appreciate every coaster for what they are, the run if the mill GP go for the biggest, fastest, loopeiest (is that even a word) ect, quality of the actual ride often doesn't come into it. You only have to look at how Nemesis was eclipsed by Air and now Galactica, yet it's easily the best ride on the park. I guess when you get back with your mates I rode Nemesis 10 times doesn't sound as impressive as I rode the Smiler and Galactica twice each.
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I think most of the GP will see it as being unique due being the only coaster made of wood at AT.


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John said:
It can't just be me that finds it odd that WM isn't even coming close to filling its queue line?

Smiler's queue was 2hrs or more on even vaguely busy days with a whole range of different overspill queues in use throughout the season. I don't think I've seen WM come close to 2hrs when its running well. I'm not complaining as it means riding it in the middle of the day is a genuine option, just seems strangely unpopular for a major coaster in its opening year. On the other hand, maybe it's just a sign that guest numbers are still well down on what they used to get and it's just poor operations that make the park seem busier than it actually is.

STATS TIME:

Smiler historic queue data: https://queue-times.com/parks/1/rides/4640

WM historic queue data: https://queue-times.com/parks/1/rides/5489

Based on queue time alone, Smiler now seems at least as popular, gradually catching WM in the past month or so. Also it's far more reliable but we knew that anyway.
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It is also worth noting that The Smiler's queue time could be artificially inflated due to its new loading procedures for the 2018 season (i.e. the baggage arrangements) that slow the entire loading process.

:)
 
pj said:
I think most of the GP will see it as being unique due being the only coaster made of wood at AT.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
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I don't think they are that interested in what it's made from. Without wanting to insult anyone but I have overheard in the past someone claim that the RMT is wood because of the station / bridge looking wood and also, during my thousands of visits to BPB I can probably count on one hand how many times I have overheard the GP debating wood/steel coasters.

In fact now I think about it I have heard someone claim the Mouse was really steel cause wood coasters can't go that fast (despite the Blue Flyer being faster than the Mouse)
 
A big pull to the Towers this year is the fact that they have finally got a woodie.
Parents and grandparents have gone on (and on!) about them needing one for about three decades.
Love to disagree with you Ash, cobblers.
 
Oh come on, the general public aren't stupid! It's very clear that Wicker Man is a wooden coaster, making it very different to all the other coasters at Towers – which is in a way a USP that could draw people to visit the park. The public have received Wicker Man extremely well – I've not come across many people at all who didn't enjoy it, so even if it's not got a gimmicky Merlin style USP, it can still be a success just for being so different to everything else Towers have, as well as being a very high quality experience all round.
 
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The security incident doesn't surprise me. If I see anyone like that anywhere in Public trying to pick fights or act 'macho', I instantly know without a seconds thought that they live a useless meaningless existence. They'd be better placed slaving 15 hours a day in a salt mine!
Haven't followed Towers' 2018 season much, but wow, from reading all of your posts, it sounds even more depressing than the one time I did go back in March, which was bad enough. I've never known the place to have multiple major thrill rides closed for any sustained period of time, especially not so close to the Summer Holiday. Utterly disgraceful.
A few points have to raise:
-If their policy is to no longer have full capacity rapids i.e 6 instead of 8, then they may as well switch to the far safer 6 seat boats with the chairs on.
-Entrance fee should of been lowered had major rides been closed for any more than 2 days
-No turning off the fire effects. Ever. They are noticeable, and more importantly, not holding them to account over it is an excuse for them to leave other things not working.
-I for one hope the visitor numbers are bloody awful this season. As that might be the final straw for shareholder confidence in Merlin's RTP offerings! Then, if all goes to plan, Merlin cease operating Towers, Leslau cashes in and sells the place to a company that know how to run a UK theme park.
 
rob666 said:
A big pull to the Towers this year is the fact that they have finally got a woodie.
Parents and grandparents have gone on (and on!) about them needing one for about three decades.
Love to disagree with you Ash, cobblers.
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No, coaster nerds have gone on and one about it. I visited Alton with my parents as a child and with several friends while I was at school under the supervision of their parents. Never did any of them say 'we had a really good day, but the park are missing a woodie'

Robert.W said:
Oh come on, the general public aren't stupid! It's very clear that Wicker Man is a wooden coaster, making it very different to all the other coasters at Towers – which is in a way a USP that could draw people to visit the park. The public have received Wicker Man extremely well – I've not come across many people at all who didn't enjoy it, so even if it's not got a gimmicky Merlin style USP, it can still be a success just for being so different to everything else Towers have, as well as being a very high quality experience all round.
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Oh believe me the general public can be very stupid at times, take it from someone who has worked with them for nearly 2 decades. On my one and only visit this year I even heard WM being compared to the RMT, that's how stupid they can be.

You can also counter the whole Smiler crash = towers (and coasters in general) are unsafe just be realising how stupid the GP can be. Did you read the comments on social media around the time of the crash? If they weren't so daft AT wouldn't have seen such a dip in visitors and the park may not be in the mess it's in today. If the GP weren't so stupid as to make up wild claims BPB may well still have the Mouse too!
 
Ash84 said:
Oh believe me the general public can be very stupid at times, take it from someone who has worked with them for nearly 2 decades. One my one and only visit this year I even heard WM being compared to the RMT, that's how stupid they can be.

You can also counter the whole Smiler crash = towers (and coasters in general) are unsafe just be realising how stupid the GP can be. Did you read the comments on social media around the time of the crash? If they weren't so daft AT wouldn't have seen such a dip in visitors and the park may not be in the mess it's in today.
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But seriously though, the majority of people visiting Towers will be able to see pretty easily that Wicker Man is a vastly different experience than the Runaway Mine Train. Yes, they both share a vaguely similar wooden aesthetic (which is what probably causes some comparisons to be made), but at the same time, are very obviously vastly different rides, and the majority of the public will understand that.

As far as I'm concerned about the public's perception of rides and rollercoasters after The Smiler accident, I think the vast majority of people who still go on about how rides are not safe and who always bring up the crash on The Smiler as part of their argument, are in fact people who actually have never liked rollercoasters and are looking for every possible excuse as to why they should never have to ride one. The majority of the public don't think like this.
 
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