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2020: General Discussion

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Concerned said:
Hello

I’ve just read about the trouble at Thorpe park, now I’m concerned about these issues at Alton towers.

Does anyone know on what days these guys tend to visit?

not that I have anything against them! Would rather have a more family atmosphere:)
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What happened at thorpe?
 
Concerned said:
Hello

I’ve just read about the trouble at Thorpe park, now I’m concerned about these issues at Alton towers.

Does anyone know on what days these guys tend to visit?

not that I have anything against them! Would rather have a more family atmosphere:)
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Alton Towers is never as bad as Thorpe Park, remember that Alton Towers has separate Thrill/Family areas and even then I haven't seen any problems in the thrill areas.
 
Connor98 said:
What days even was this, I luckily seem to miss it every year. Unless I’m just being stereotypical and didn’t notice either way :tearsofjoy:
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Last year Friday 18th October wasn’t pleasant. It felt fine until the afternoon and the atmosphere changed, queue jumping, intimidating behaviour in queues, having bits of food being thrown at us at our table in Pizza & Pasta.

Couldn’t even have a pint in the Welcome Inn to soften the mood because of the very people driving me to drink o_O
 
Matt878787 said:
Last year Friday 18th October wasn’t pleasant. It felt fine until the afternoon and the atmosphere changed, queue jumping, intimidating behaviour in queues, having bits of food being thrown at us at our table in Pizza & Pasta.

Couldn’t even have a pint in the Welcome Inn to soften the mood because of the very people driving me to drink o_O
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sounds one to make sure to miss in the future! Luckily I’ve never experienced anything like that at towers, so let’s keep it that way.
 
Thameslink Rail said:
Alton Towers is never as bad as Thorpe Park, remember that Alton Towers has separate Thrill/Family areas and even then I haven't seen any problems in the thrill areas.
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I've found the opposite. In general the Thorpe day attracts significantly lower
numbers overall with a lot fewer issues as a result. The numbers at the Towers day are usually huge, as are the problems caused.

This year it seems to have switched round.
 
Also the general thing at Thorpe is they had scare zones where people were attacking or spitting at actors. Alton Towers only has scare mazes.
 
jon81uk said:
Also the general thing at Thorpe is they had scare zones where people were attacking or spitting at actors. Alton Towers only has scare mazes.
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I can assure you that the scare mazes at Towers have had to be evacuated on occasions in previous years when the travelling community descended on scarefest en-masse. Exact same reasons too, namely actors being assaulted / laser pens shone in their faces etc.
 
Kraken27 said:
I can assure you that the scare mazes at Towers have had to be evacuated on occasions in previous years when the travelling community descended on scarefest en-masse. Exact same reasons too, namely actors being assaulted / laser pens shone in their faces etc.
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Oh I can believe that. But in the current pandemic situation the mazes are easier to control and manage as well.
 
Ethan said:
Featuring the legend himself Francis jackson
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The very man who many say took Alton Towers "back home" - i.e. down under. Mr "it's better than nothing" on the social media account was prevalent under his current reign. He [Francis] chose to use social media to blame ride stoppages on guests with mobile phones / cameras etc - a lot of this is true. However we all know on here how Merlin were running Towers into the ground at the same time too, not least due to the losses attributed to the incident on The Smiler.

It really is now - "Alton Towers - Where your wallet never closes".
 
Kraken27 said:
He [Francis] chose to use social media to blame ride stoppages on guests with mobile phones / cameras etc - a lot of this is true.
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I think he was reacting to newspapers who were putting up stupid headlines of "suspended 50ft in the air" when a coaster stopped on a lift hill for 10 minutes. In the majority of those cases it would be the case of an loose object causing the stoppage so he wasn't wrong. I think its the papers who are in the wrong for printing sensationalist headlines about routine stoppages.

Yes the park was being run on a tight budget, but I think it was obvious that it was the aftermath of the Smiler incident and this year they have increased hours and removed a lot of closed days as guest numbers picked up.

If any of the Merlin parks are being run into the ground it is Chessington.
 
Kraken27 said:
The very man who many say took Alton Towers "back home" - i.e. down under. Mr "it's better than nothing" on the social media account was prevalent under his current reign. He [Francis] chose to use social media to blame ride stoppages on guests with mobile phones / cameras etc - a lot of this is true. However we all know on here how Merlin were running Towers into the ground at the same time too, not least due to the losses attributed to the incident on The Smiler.

It really is now - "Alton Towers - Where your wallet never closes".
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Those videos were part of a Merlin wide campaign as part of the ‘Behind the Magic’ series/blog - it wasn’t a case of Francis himself ‘choosing’ that approach.

https://backstage.merlinentertainments.biz/2020/ride-safety-video-series/
 
Kraken27 said:
The very man who many say took Alton Towers "back home" - i.e. down under. Mr "it's better than nothing" on the social media account was prevalent under his current reign. He [Francis] chose to use social media to blame ride stoppages on guests with mobile phones / cameras etc - a lot of this is true. However we all know on here how Merlin were running Towers into the ground at the same time too, not least due to the losses attributed to the incident on The Smiler.

It really is now - "Alton Towers - Where your wallet never closes".
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I don't think Alton is that bad! Had many a great day out the last few years, they've really put an effort in this year as well.

While cuts were made after that incident, we got Wickerman
 
So it looks like stoke is going into tier 2 and the number of regions going into tier 3 is increasing. As you shouldn't leave a tier 3 area are alton towers allowing you to book a trip if you give a postcode for a tier 3 area? Who would be breaking the law the person travelling or alton towers for letting you visit? Also as alton towers has a stoke postcode won't they have to police indoor areas as households can't mix? Logistical knightmare for half term
 
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