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2018: Mutiny Bay Courtyard Refurbish and New F&B Outlet

CoasterCrazyChris said:
I guarantee they wont retheme Mutiny Bay they spent far too much 8/9 years ago on the theming of Battle Galleons and Sharkbait Reef, at best there will be some sign changes.
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They didn't do too bad a job of it either. Money that looks set to now be wasted by sticking a tribal themed coaster over looking it and an eating area that sounds like it would be more at home in a "yah, let's totes (shudder) do lunch" 21st century regenerated city centre somewhere rather than in a swashbuckling "arrrrrr matey" pirate themed bay.
 
belongstothesmiler said:
I think this is a positive move as the area as it stands is a waste of space because its not getting used. The indoor seating will give people who aren't riding SW8 somewhere to sit especially if it's covered over. Put it this ways its better than standing there being empty. Be positive!
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I don't think there will be any indoor seating? Just covered seating areas similar to now except for a surrounding glass fence to keep some of the wind out under the canopy.

In fact with the tavern area becoming the queue for the new food counter there will actually be less indoor space.
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
I think it's about time they gave up on themed areas as none of them save Katanga and Gloomy Wood (the only two Merlin haven't touched) are distinguishable as anything other than some rides with lazy themes cobbled together.

Galactica?
Rita?
Spinball?
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Merlin bought Tussauds group in 2007.
Air opened 2001 in Forbidden Valley and didn't fit in the theming (and Galactica hasn't significantly changed anything).
Rita was placed into Ug Land in 2005 and didn't fit in the theming well.
Spinball was plonked into Adventure Land in 2004 and Adventure Land never had a proper theme anyway.

Battle Galleons was added in 2008 so could be seen as the first thing added since Merlin took over Tussauds and brought with it one of the best themed areas of the park. Sea Life opened 2009 and further improved the theme.

The Smiler theme added to X Sector, sticking with the life altering experiences and government secrecy type themes of Oblivion. The Black Hole that was there before it had a Jules Verne space theme out of sync with the rest of X Sector.

CBeebies Land brought together the old farm and storybook areas and improved them with a new cohesive theme.

Therefore I actually think in general the quality of theming was better in the last 10 years of Merlin ownership than it was in the 10 years before that of Tussauds. Although 1990s Tussauds stuff is still good, its just the 2001-2007 stuff that was poor.


Coming back to the Smokehouse, what evidence is there that this will ruin the theme any more or less than the previous courtyard barbecue?
 
jon81uk said:
Coming back to the Smokehouse, what evidence is there that this will ruin the theme any more or less than the previous courtyard barbecue?
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I suppose one of the worries is that the Tavern is one of the best themed indoor areas at Alton Towers. It's high quality and detailed with a very European theme park feel to it. I hope they retain and enhance much of this interior although I suspect it will be gutted.

Budgets for F&B investments in recent years have been good though and generally speaking they are of a good quality. I just hope it has character and is not another vinyl themed venue.

:)
 
I presume its to keep the ducks and all those guests that brought their own pack up lunches out as well as containing those little runaround tykes ;)
 
RoyJess said:
I presume its to keep the ducks and all those guests that brought their own pack up lunches out as well as containing those little runaround tykes ;)
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Them duck drive me quackers when i eat my packed lunch :D

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I don't think the glass will be Etched. A frosted affect sticker made by their favourite local sign maker would be more like it

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jon81uk said:
Merlin bought Tussauds group in 2007.
Air opened 2001 in Forbidden Valley and didn't fit in the theming (and Galactica hasn't significantly changed anything).
Rita was placed into Ug Land in 2005 and didn't fit in the theming well.
Spinball was plonked into Adventure Land in 2004 and Adventure Land never had a proper theme anyway.

Battle Galleons was added in 2008 so could be seen as the first thing added since Merlin took over Tussauds and brought with it one of the best themed areas of the park. Sea Life opened 2009 and further improved the theme.

The Smiler theme added to X Sector, sticking with the life altering experiences and government secrecy type themes of Oblivion. The Black Hole that was there before it had a Jules Verne space theme out of sync with the rest of X Sector.

CBeebies Land brought together the old farm and storybook areas and improved them with a new cohesive theme.

Therefore I actually think in general the quality of theming was better in the last 10 years of Merlin ownership than it was in the 10 years before that of Tussauds. Although 1990s Tussauds stuff is still good, its just the 2001-2007 stuff that was poor.


Coming back to the Smokehouse, what evidence is there that this will ruin the theme any more or less than the previous courtyard barbecue?
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Tussauds developed a brand new themed area every year between 1992 and 1999 with associated new rides faithful to each theme and by the time Charterhouse bought the park it was world class quality (for the time) save for a few small patchy areas.

Bearing in mind the vast majority of the original tussauds management resigned around 2000 after the buyout and it was the years that followed this when the rot really set in - cheap faddy attractions shoehorned in anywhere. In the latter years the tussauds brand was nothing but a facade for the venture capitalists running the company.

Yet in the decade since Merlin bought the park Cbeebies and Mutiny Bay are the only new themes created that are anywhere near the standard you would expect for a theme park trying to compete on a world stage. Neither of them are particularly unique, interesting or cleverly designed - in particular Alton was embarrassingly late to the game upgrading its kiddie offering.

People also forget that at one stage every eatery on park was themed to some degree, now the tavern is pretty much all that is left and everything else looks like a cheap budget rip off of high street food chains but without the budget prices.
 
Has anyone actually been into the courtyard or Tavern for the last couple of seasons?
Neither of which are in a decent state!

The courtyard is scruffy, the shelter is faded and damaged and the benches/tables are very worn.
The tavern is bad, very bad. There is no atmosphere in there due to it only containing about 4 tables now and being very cold even on the sunniest of days, the theming is okay...at best..it is still very much Merrie England inside, there is even an English flag in the barn scene painted behind the bar. The beer garden (flume-side) section is okay but that is it.

So what the park are proposing is to refurbish all that and open a new restaurant with (if CWoA's Smokehouse is to go by) probably the best quick service food available in a UK themepark and we are complaining? Really?

Woodcutters is probably best looking restaurant the park has ever had and is mostly modern with alot of glass, shocker!
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Tussauds developed a brand new themed area every year between 1992 and 1999 with associated new rides faithful to each theme and by the time Charterhouse bought the park it was world class quality (for the time) save for a few small patchy areas.

Bearing in mind the vast majority of the original tussauds management resigned around 2000 after the buyout and it was the years that followed this when the rot really set in - cheap faddy attractions shoehorned in anywhere. In the latter years the tussauds brand was nothing but a facade for the venture capitalists running the company.

Yet in the decade since Merlin bought the park Cbeebies and Mutiny Bay are the only new themes created that are anywhere near the standard you would expect for a theme park trying to compete on a world stage. Neither of them are particularly unique, interesting or cleverly designed - in particular Alton was embarrassingly late to the game upgrading its kiddie offering.

People also forget that at one stage every eatery on park was themed to some degree, now the tavern is pretty much all that is left and everything else looks like a cheap budget rip off of high street food chains but without the budget prices.
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The original poster said the pre-2000 Tussauds was the best period, they where mearly using the last 7 years of Tussauds to highlight your Hyperbolic posting about Merlins installation history as a whole.

Anyway I'm not sold on the exact style choices they have made but the F&B installations usually do ok. And courtyard is unlikely to go the same way as Towers Street bar and grill as it is in a busy area of the park that stays busy during lunch. When they talked about returning Towers family resteraunt I was sceptical as by the time lunch occurs no one is on Towers Street

As for themed eateries Fried Chicken and Corner Coffee have had recent decent refreshes and the CBeebies outlet is pretty good too. Nitrogenie I'm conflicted on as I love the icecream but the music offends me.
 
CoasterCrazyChris said:
Tussauds developed a brand new themed area every year between 1992 and 1999
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Because in 1992 there weren't any themed (except Britannia Farm), they basically built a theme park up from an amusement park in the 90s. The last area that was unthemed was Festival Park becoming Ug Land in 1999.

Once Forbidden Valley was made there isn't really a need to redo that area unless Nemesis is removed, therefore the older the park the less major things change.

Personally although the idea of a pirate theme is a bit of a cliche, Mutiny Bay is one of the best themed areas in a UK park (excluding Legoland)
 
matthewgcole said:
Glass fencing in a pirate themed area
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It may not fit the theme of the area however they had little choice here. I am pleased that they are doing something to make the courtyard more sheltered; on a miserable wet and windy day it was hardly a comfortable place to sit and eat. So partly enclosing it is a good idea. Would some form of themed barriers fit better? Yes. Would these have ruined existing sightlines from within the Listed courtyard? Yes. Would they have got planning permission? Nope!

:)
 
I don't see the issue with glass, that's being picky for the sake of it. We could pick out materials on all the buildings and claim they don't fit in with the theme!

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James said:
I don't see the issue with glass, that's being picky for the sake of it. We could pick out materials on all the buildings and claim they don't fit in with the theme!

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Ok, perhaps a little bit. But in the context in which I originally said this, my main concern is that this coaster will be completely incoherently themed with the area in which it sits and the possibility that that very theme could potentially be bleeding out into the wider MB area with this.
 
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