2018: Park Operations & Ride Availability

[IDB]

Well that was certainly an experience today. I think I queued longer for drink refills than I did for rides.

Managed Nemesis twice, Wickerman twice, Oblivion and Hex & Dual (just to get out of the heat.)

 

[Snagglemama]

Well that was certainly an experience today. I think I queued longer for drink refills than I did for rides.

Managed Nemesis twice, Wickerman twice, Oblivion and Hex & Dual (just to get out of the heat.)

You only managed to get a couple more than me. Wickerman twice. RMT and duel twice.

 

[Unicorns_are_lovely]

5 rides in a day is shocking, AT have lost the plot this year and it's putting me off even bothering to make the trip there before September comes round. I was at Blackpool yesterday, it was heaving and I got 8 rides in 4 hours of bumbling around the park (4 on Icon) and they were open for another 7 hours after I left!

A work colleague went to AT midweek last week and said it was a good job they had free tix from the Sun as he wouldn't pay to get in now

Please please please Merlin ...give AT some love (and cash!) before it becomes an absolute disaster

 

[IDB]

I had free Sun tickets so today cost me £11 (drink & parking) so I’m not complaining too much. I was more disappointed than anything.

My main complaint today was the Quencher stalls were seriously understaffed. We stood in a queue for at least ten minutes every-time we wanted a drink. The one by Rita there was a poor girl working her socks off whilst next door the two games stands had four members of staff messing about because no one was having a go.

Also why have a member of staff stood at the skyride entrance all day? Simply produce a poster explaining why they are closed which then frees him up to do something more productive with his time.

 

[AstroDan]

The most baffling thing seems to be that the duty director on the day seems to look out of their window above Towers Street and plucks a ride close out of thin air.

The fact is, this weekend has been far busier than last - yet the park closed thirty minutes earlier. What the hell!?

There should be a strictly adhered to algorithim.

Firstly...
X number of guests = Y closing time

Then...
Hot and sunny? + 30 minutes.
Weekend + 30 minutes
Holiday period? + 30 minutes
Significant ride downtime + 30 minutes

4.00pm closes should be reserved for days where there is literally not a queue above 15 minutes. Then, the park should be flexible to extend right up to 7.00pm (or even 8.00pm) on the busiest days! Scarefest/Fireworks obviously are exceptions as they are special events.

 

[Unicorns_are_lovely]

The cynic in me thinks less staff on refill duty = longer queues = less refills = save cash ... but surely even Merlin aren't that tight fisted over a 5p refill of coke syrup ... are they?!

 

[IanSR]

All those pennies add up as they say...

 

[AstroDan]

But Gardaland are closing at 11pm and Thorpe Park closing at 10pm!

Alton are busy this season yet are pretty much the earliest closing of the RTPs? Doesn't really add up!

I am not expecting them to close late at night... but at least reasonable extensions and 6 or 7pm on hot, summer weekends...

 

[spinba11]

Has the kiosk between GW and FV been put to use when it has been boarded up since the start of the season? I can’t remember if it was boarded up or not.

 

[Snagglemama]

Yeah we spent ages queuing the other week for refills. Next time we go we will have to try and ride all the coasters we didn't do last time. And that means no wickerman

 

[RicketyCricket]

The sheer size of the park alone is enough reason to stay open until at the very least 6pm. When it’s already heaving and rides are going down constantly just makes it so much more ridiculous.

There’ve been days at Thorpe where I’ve done everything by 2pm and start to get bored.

 

[Alsty]

It's almost like management at Alton Towers have looked at their budget and said something like "we can only afford 20 hours worth of extensions"... then they are worried that if they blow those hours too early in the season they won't have any left later in the year.

 

[Error]

It's almost like management at Alton Towers have looked at their budget and said something like "we can only afford 20 hours worth of extensions"... then they are worried that if they blow those hours too early in the season they won't have any left later in the year.

It's more the fact that they just don't care.

It's clear as day, as AstroDan said, the parks heaving, weather at the moment is breaking records, it's the weekend and yet 16:00pm closing, to them, seems to suffice. It's ludicrous, think what you like but I'm telling ya..

They don't care about this park.

 

[Burbs]

Today was dreadful, and saved for us only by registering our complaints at guest services and receiving Fastrack as compensation. I began highlighting the positives and negatives about our day, but it would take too long.

Essentially, staggered openings resulting in huge queues and pre-queues, followed by several attractions not opening on time and breaking down throughout the day, topped off with poor operations (Rapids queue to out the entrance but still not filling the boats) and minimal capacity for F&B outlets.

 

[Austin Towers]

Multiple park visits for £55, what do you expect, it's better than nothing.

Well that's the stance I believe they're taking as they now regret selling the £55 season pass.

 

[Rick]

I am in the minority(?) who would rather wait double the time than share a boat.*

*If there with kids, if not - not as bothered.

 

[rob666]

Multiple park visits for £55, what do you expect, it's better than nothing.

Well that's the stance I believe they're taking as they now regret selling the £55 season pass.

No, they will make a bomb all summer on fasttrack.
Will be hell all summer, but merlin will be quids on.

 

[John]

Rapids has become an absolute nightmare this year. It seems to have been missing boats for a while but it's not been much of an issue until this year as the park hasn't been busy. Back when "queue time from this point" boards were still a thing, there was one near the bridge over the exit path that said 45 minutes, that was with the old 6 seat boats and all extensions open and it was pretty accurate. These days you'd wait 90 minutes from there as half the boats have 2 people in.

Couple that with the fact that the ride is a snooze-fest now as there's only 1 wave pool working and the waterfalls are still off and the result is it's gone from from something I'd usually ride every trip to a something I hardly ever bother with. It's not even open at night anymore which was always a TS scarefest/fireworks tradition (regardless of how cold it was)

 

[Ash84]

Today was dreadful, and saved for us only by registering our complaints at guest services and receiving Fastrack as compensation.

Our day ended the same way on opening weekend, I wasn't happy with that response so kicked off further via email and received money off a meal, all of which is yet to be redeemed as we have not returned since.

What worries me about the logic they seem to be using is, rather than addressing the issues head on, they would rather hand out fist fulls of fast tracks to those who see fit to complain, which actually cost Alton a matter of pence to produce, but seem to satisfy the vast majority of those complaints, which in turn leads to further problems down the line, because what then happens is they leave guest services and go queue jump people, which is an irritation to everyone else, many of which will head to guest services themselves and obtain fast tracks for free and in turn re-jump them on the next ride.

So everyone gets fast tracks and nothing gets solved.....wonderful system.

 

[IDB]

Today was dreadful, and saved for us only by registering our complaints at guest services and receiving Fastrack as compensation.

I probably should have done the same just to highlight the issues we had. But the thought of standing in another queue at Guest Services didn’t appeal to me at the time.