It will be easier for singles to go on spinball because the 2 people min on coasters (apart from 13 and smiler which are manufacturers rules) is a park rule so in theory that could e changed temporarily.
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2020: General Discussion
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Pleasure Beach Valhalla
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- Nemesis
I'm happy to see the Gardens reopening even if it isn't the whole of Towers, it's better than nothing!
So with th13teens being a manufacturer rule, that surely means the ride won't be able to operate. I'm not worried about the smiler as the minimum is 8 and you can reach that still sticking to social distancing. With 13 you need nearly the whole train so it's impossible to follow social distancing so surely it won't open
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Skyscraper
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https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/burton/alton-towers-partially-reopen-gardens-4184856.amp
£12 for regular guests, £1 for MAP and SP holders. All tickets include free parking too.
Good that they're doing free parking, although people might complain when the charges are reintroduced after the rides reopen.
£12 for regular guests, £1 for MAP and SP holders. All tickets include free parking too.
Good that they're doing free parking, although people might complain when the charges are reintroduced after the rides reopen.
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Pleasure Beach Valhalla
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As they've been doing loads of maintenance, does anyone know any news about The Blade judging by the fact that's it's almost not operated for nearly 8-9months now?
Islander
TS Member
I wouldn't assume at all that there's been "loads of maintenance" being undertaken - the parks have retained an absolute skeleton crew of techs, and their priorities will be to complete preventative maintenance on attractions, ie testing, weekly/monthly checks etc, rather than other projects
I’ll give merlin credit for opening the ground/gardens. Only niggle I have is the cost of £12. Now for towers that isn’t too bad as the gardens are very spacious, but charging the same for Warwick castle seems a bit much. Obviously people may think different but i just think it should of been a tad cheaper.
The pricing is strange but Warwick is most certainly worth £12 considering you’re getting access to over 60 acres of land to walk around.
D4n
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Drifting slightly off topic now but my main issue with the charge of £12.50 at Warwick Castle is that it is pretty much the standard price of the attraction (using a BOGOF voucher).
This is part of the problem with flooding the market with discount vouchers. It creates confusion around the actual value of the product on offer.
Matt N
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I’d argue that Warwick Castle may actually be better value at £12 than Towers, because having been to both before, I’d say that the gardens at Warwick Castle are quite a significant part of a day there, whereas Alton Towers’ gardens... not so much.
I must admit, I think I’ve only been in the Gardens once, and even then it was only as a scenic route between Forbidden Valley and Dark Forest. My mum and dad were rather surprised at how steep the paths were in the Gardens and how hard it was to navigate your way through them, and as such, they both agreed that we were never to set foot in the Gardens again. I do like viewing them from the Skyride, however!
I’m not criticising the value of Towers’ Gardens by any means, however, as I think that it’s fantastic that they’re opening them at all, and I would happily pay £12 to walk through them if I were more into that sort of thing!
I must admit, I think I’ve only been in the Gardens once, and even then it was only as a scenic route between Forbidden Valley and Dark Forest. My mum and dad were rather surprised at how steep the paths were in the Gardens and how hard it was to navigate your way through them, and as such, they both agreed that we were never to set foot in the Gardens again. I do like viewing them from the Skyride, however!
I’m not criticising the value of Towers’ Gardens by any means, however, as I think that it’s fantastic that they’re opening them at all, and I would happily pay £12 to walk through them if I were more into that sort of thing!
AT86
TS Member
£12 for access to Alton Towers Gardens and grounds may be a little on the pricey side (but Alton Towers is, and always has been expensive).
But as a comparator somewhere like Trebah Gardens in Cornwall which is similar design to Towers in that it is a valley garden is £11 entry. So it’s not a million miles away price wise.
I sincerely hope this isn’t a flash in the pan and it actually gives the company a re-focus on the Gardens, I was very pleasantly surprised at the state of the gardens last year but there is no denying they need more care and attention.
There are so many possibilities for opening the gardens on mid-week close dates, during winter, packaging them into a short break options etc etc. I really hope this leads on to bigger and better things.
But as a comparator somewhere like Trebah Gardens in Cornwall which is similar design to Towers in that it is a valley garden is £11 entry. So it’s not a million miles away price wise.
I sincerely hope this isn’t a flash in the pan and it actually gives the company a re-focus on the Gardens, I was very pleasantly surprised at the state of the gardens last year but there is no denying they need more care and attention.
There are so many possibilities for opening the gardens on mid-week close dates, during winter, packaging them into a short break options etc etc. I really hope this leads on to bigger and better things.
SuperMuscleMan
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I too would like to see them open on their own but the problem with gardens is they are seasonal so maybe a few days in September and autumn would be good but the peak would be spring/summer depending on the type of planting.
Alastair
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I just DM'd Towers on Twitter and they sent the barcode number from the pass. I guess if putting 0's works also then that's easier, though doesn't really provide me with much confidence in the robustness of the booking system!
AT86
TS Member
Absolutely it’s never going to be the biggest money maker in the world. But if they deem the demand to weak to open the theme park on midweek days in April, May & September, it’s an ideal time to just open the gardens with very little outlay (couple of staff on turnstiles/tickets and maybe open Corner Coffee for refreshments).
Many garden attractions (such as my previously mentioned Trebah Gardens) are open all year round though, so there could be more opportunities.
imanautie
TS Member
Alton have a fair few non theme park related ways to make money, I'm sure guided tours of the site could be something history fans would like!
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Steve74
TS Member
They could even register with the National Garden Scheme (https://ngs.org.uk) or have some tie in with the National Trust. Both of those organisations would help get people visiting who probably wouldn't normally visit Towers
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