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2021: General Discussion

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Danscott22 said:
It would never be pointless opening until 5pm. I fail to grasp why this opinion keeps recurring every so often. Yes, they've done an amazing job with opening hours this year, they really have - except for the 10-4s. They shouldn't still be a thing.
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But tell me what the point is? What actually is the park gaining from it? And I don't wanna hear this rubbish about reputation as those days are dead every year regardless of opening times
 
Better guest experience? I know for a fact this has all been on this forum before. Better experience > more likely to visit again > more likely to recommend to others = potential for more visitors. Staying open an extra hour you have more chance that guests might spend that final part of the day spending money on merch, spending money on food, spending money on drinks; etc. More spending = more profit = the point of staying open longer. Same thing applies to a 6, 7, 8, 9pm close. If 10-4 is your only visit of the year, which for some people it will be, they might take food in and eat it in queues because they've got to rush from ride to ride - not because of queue lengths, because of the sheer size of Alton Towers.

It's nothing to do with reputation, but you want to give your guests the best possible experience. Also, they aren't necessarily dead in a COVID world, the 4pm closes earlier in the year that everyone "thought would be dead", were busy and unwarranted. Some remained at 4pm days before I visited, when they shouldn't have, and were only extended post my visit. Plenty of "point" to banish 4pm closes altogether, which as I've admitted, they've mostly done a good job of.

Just because they've been 90/95% great all year, it doesn't mean that last 5% can't be critiqued where its warranted.
 
There's countless benefits of staying open the extra time, whenever I've gone on a 4pm close I always grab a meal deal before I go and don't waste any time looking at merchandise I just rush ride to ride because of the sheer size of the park, this isn't Drayton manor where you can get everything done 5x over on a off peak 6 hour day.

Even going mid week Tuesday and Wednesday mid September this year there was multiple rides hitting 50 minutes to an hour, just a park as major as Alton towers I just wouldn't expect 4pm closures.
 
I have booked Thursday off work to go, but still considering whether to do so. The week between Scarefest and Fireworks is always a really quiet time - but ride availability has always been a bit hit and miss. This year we'd have to make the 90 minute journey knowing it is almost certainly a miss.
 
Clearly towers disagree with you all. If they thought it was beneficial then the opening times for those days would be 5 not 4
 
Rick said:
I have booked Thursday off work to go, but still considering whether to do so. The week between Scarefest and Fireworks is always a really quiet time - but ride availability has always been a bit hit and miss. This year we'd have to make the 90 minute journey knowing it is almost certainly a miss.
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Good old Adrenaline Week, used to love it, nothing but the main coasters open and a few food stalls.
With the last colour of the leaves, best week of the year at the Towers.
Edited for shocking spellin.
 
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Log Flume's Dennis said:
I agree with Ethan, Towers staff shouldn't be able to socialise after they finish work. They should drive straight home, read the bible for 10 minutes then go to sleep.
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You guys didn't interpret it right at all. When did I say they weren't allowed to socialise and have fun. Like many have said they can do whatever they want however having a party the night before a shift where you're gonna get stupidly drunk is unprofessional as you'll most likely end up having to miss your shift or turn up on a hangover. You have to be sensible when working in the public eye
 
Ethan said:
You guys didn't interpret it right at all. When did I say they weren't allowed to socialise and have fun. Like many have said they can do whatever they want however having a party the night before a shift where you're gonna get stupidly drunk is unprofessional as you'll most likely end up having to miss your shift or turn up on a hangover. You have to be sensible when working in the public eye
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I’m going to the park on Saturday with a group of friends who all worked at Towers when we were at 6th Form at Thomas Alleynes in Uttoxeter. We partied every Friday night and then they’d go and do their Saturday shift at Towers. One of them was a ride host for Team Oblivion. It just happens when you’re 17 - hangovers pretty much don’t exist at that age. A hangover when you’re 30 though - that’s a completely different feeling :eek:
 
I would never let any minimum wage part time job stop me from going out in my own time and I wouldn't blame the towers staff for doing it at all, what can you expect from a workforce of mostly teenagers, and as people have said, working over scarefest seems rough and I would want to party after getting through it too
 
Yeah I assume there's probably an annual party on the closing night of Scarefest? They have it rough over the Scarefest period, and they've worked long hours all season, I'd want to do exactly the same!
 
Look we've had post after post after post about 4 vs 5 closes and clearly people have differing opinions. Reasons on both sides have been laid out repeatedly and no one's opinion is going to change, so why are we continually revisiting it and pointlessly diverting things away from worthwhile discussion points?

Could we move on from the 4vs5 discussion, have a little more politeness with each other and move onto other general discussion about Towers. Thanks :)
 
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