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2021: General Discussion

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Ethan said:
So towers add 4 fairground rides and everyone is suddenly really excited for thr season haha. Its the events that will make this year, apart from that it's same old I guess
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It’s not just that; the longer opening hours and the addition of The World of David Walliams should be really exciting (as well as the events), there’s been a lot of fairly extensive TLC taking place this off-season, and on the whole, the park has a really fresh, exciting vibe about it this season!

Not that it doesn’t feel fresh and exciting in other seasons, of course, but this season feels particularly fresh and exciting compared to usual!
 
I agree that this season has a very exciting buzz around it due to a combination of the new events, TLC work and fairground rides, and also just the park reopening as a whole after the few dreary months we've had as a country. I know the fairground rides are controversial and to some extent an unpopular decision, but they are nevertheless an exciting change and quite a clever way for towers to be able to not only boost their capacity after the rough year, but also eat up some queue times which surely we should all be happy about.

But what I think is most important to note is that looking at the bigger picture, it looks like this is the beginning of a new era for towers. Theres been two new events two years in a row, there's a greater focus on TLC, looks as though there will be more entertainment with the stage being set up on the lawn, and overall towers seem to be listening to criticism and making changes that we've been wanting to see. I think the next few years for towers are going to be fantastic and i can't wait to see what else they come up with.

I feel like I often come across as the naive optimist on these forums, but sometimes I do think some of you folks forget that we are meant to actually like AT ;):p
 
Heidi said:
I feel like I often come across as the naive optimist on these forums, but sometimes I do think some of you folks forget that we are meant to actually like AT ;):p
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Don’t worry @Heidi; I agree with your optimistic viewpoints, and if anything, I think I’m the naive optimist on these boards, based on what most always say to me...

But I agree with your post entirely; I certainly think 2021 could be the start of an exciting new chapter in Alton Towers’ history, and the next few years could be really, really exciting!
 
Matt N said:
Don’t worry @Heidi; I agree with your optimistic viewpoints, and if anything, I think I’m the naive optimist on these boards, based on what most always say to me...
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Nothing wrong with a bit of optimism I think, especially like I said with the dreary year we've had.

AT86 said:
I certainly could be. But it is probably a little too early to call that just yet.
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Agreed it is too early to tell, but I do feel more excited for this season than ever and I can totally understand the buzz around it
 
I think many feel that the 2021 season at Alton Towers will be one of their best seasons in recent years (although given how low the park got in the mid 00s and mid 10s there isn't that much competition), the last time Alton Towers really had a big events calendar was 2010 which also coincided with Th13teen and it's massively overhyped marketing. Whilst there is no way they will hit 3 million guests any time soon (2 million is my estimate), I think they will have a brilliant year in terms of guest satisfaction and enjoyment. What needs to be proven though is whether this new direction will stay in 2022. By this time next year, unless there is another curve ball, International travel will be back however my theory is that the recession's impact will last well into the decade and people will downgrade from Disneyland to Alton Towers like they did in 2010. If management play their cards right then this should be the opportunity to get Alton Towers back on track and rake in the money.
 
Sorry to spam post lol but I've just caught up on the newest TPWW video from today and again it looks like there has been lots of work done over the season that shows a new level of care the park seems to now be taking and I can see continuing into the next few years, such as new turnstiles, new measures to allow social distancing, reopening of the monorail, etc. I also think the use of the conservatory is clever and shows that towers is now making better use of the assets they already have (hopefully the swiss cottage soon?) and will encourage more people to use the gardens hopefully which could cut queues slightly. Plus Shaun mentioned he thought he could hear the waterfalls back on on the rapids, which hopefully is right!
 
Heidi said:
Sorry to spam post lol but I've just caught up on the newest TPWW video from today and again it looks like there has been lots of work done over the season that shows a new level of care the park seems to now be taking and I can see continuing into the next few years, such as new turnstiles, new measures to allow social distancing, reopening of the monorail, etc. I also think the use of the conservatory is clever and shows that towers is now making better use of the assets they already have (hopefully the swiss cottage soon?) and will encourage more people to use the gardens hopefully which could cut queues slightly. Plus Shaun mentioned he thought he could hear the waterfalls back on on the rapids, which hopefully is right!
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You're definitely not spam posting, we've had discussions on here with far quicker responses and far worse English :)
Alton Towers seems to be the park that is doing the most work currently and the one that I want to go to the most (the other parks that are doing lots of work are Legoland and Paultons who are both for children way younger than me and I lost a lot of confidence in the latter when they started treating their annual pass holders like dirt).
 
To be honest I don't know if this is sacrilege to say as an enthusiast but AT is the only park I really keep up with! Although there are several parks around the world and even in the UK I hope to one day visit, I just don't find them as interesting to learn about or discuss as AT, so I can't really compare how others have been prepping for the new season. It's also why I'm hoping for the return of the Season Pass because I can't justify forking out for a MAP
 
Heidi said:
To be honest I don't know if this is sacrilege to say as an enthusiast but AT is the only park I really keep up with! Although there are several parks around the world and even in the UK I hope to one day visit, I just don't find them as interesting to learn about or discuss as AT, so I can't really compare how others have been prepping for the new season. It's also why I'm hoping for the return of the Season Pass because I can't justify forking out for a MAP
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In my opinion, the MAP is only really a good option if you live in or near London and have three theme parks and five central London attractions within easy reach.
There is a very good reason why many places have stopped selling season and annual passes (note that MAPs are also off sale). The problem is that while capacity is low, they simply can't give away enough pass holder slots as they need the money from day tickets to stay afloat. Merlin had this problem last season which saw them featured on BBC Watchdog. Paultons still has this problem and it has destroyed the parks reputation, going on their social media pages it is difficult to find any comments not relating to the annual pass problems.
 
Heidi said:
To be honest I don't know if this is sacrilege to say as an enthusiast but AT is the only park I really keep up with! Although there are several parks around the world and even in the UK I hope to one day visit, I just don't find them as interesting to learn about or discuss as AT, so I can't really compare how others have been prepping for the new season. It's also why I'm hoping for the return of the Season Pass because I can't justify forking out for a MAP
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Same here! Although I do visit other parks and follow their news, Towers is definitely the main one. I've visited towers more times than any other park too. :)
 
Heidi said:
I feel like I often come across as the naive optimist on these forums, but sometimes I do think some of you folks forget that we are meant to actually like AT ;):p
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And the whinging from us miserable buggers only comes from a place of wanting good things for the park, which has been a frustrating place to enjoy in recent years. The negativity comes from a place of love, not from wanting to do it down but being left with little to praise.

The return of farcetrack aside, no complaints from me going into this season.
 
Heidi said:
Sorry to spam post lol but I've just caught up on the newest TPWW video from today and again it looks like there has been lots of work done over the season that shows a new level of care the park seems to now be taking and I can see continuing into the next few years, such as new turnstiles, new measures to allow social distancing, reopening of the monorail, etc. I also think the use of the conservatory is clever and shows that towers is now making better use of the assets they already have (hopefully the swiss cottage soon?) and will encourage more people to use the gardens hopefully which could cut queues slightly. Plus Shaun mentioned he thought he could hear the waterfalls back on on the rapids, which hopefully is right!
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I noticed the waterfalls comment too! I guess the only other thing it could've been is the flowing water in the trough but I guess the sounds are quite different so heres hoping! The waterfalls I'd say used to be my favourite part of the ride, and I've kinda been reluctant to go on the Rapids post waterfalls.
 
pluk said:
And the whinging from us miserable buggers only comes from a place of wanting good things for the park, which has been a frustrating place to enjoy in recent years. The negativity comes from a place of love, not from wanting to do it down but being left with little to praise.

The return of farcetrack aside, no complaints from me going into this season.
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Yeah I definitely understand, plus worth mentioning I am a younger member so have no experience of what most people regard as the best years for the park so I'm likely to be more naive to how good it once was. I was just poking fun really but it's definitely nice to acknowledge the positive aspects and changes at AT :)
 
I enjoyed the back end of the 2020 season more than I have enjoyed any period in the park's recent history. Of course, there have been downsides to the last decade at ATR but things do seem to finally be looking up: I would prefer to know that they know what the issues are, rather than thinking they don't. No complaints moving into the 2021 season.

Regarding hours - I am convinced we'll see the extras added soon, although they may only put up a few weeks at a time rather than the whole season. Mardi Gras I think we'll see some 8pm closes (possibly 9pm - who knows) - possibly entertainment extended 30-60 minutes beyond ride close as we saw with Oktoberfest and so with guests hanging around, they will need some lighting.
 
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Thameslink Rail said:
In my opinion, the MAP is only really a good option if you live in or near London and have three theme parks and five central London attractions within easy reach.
There is a very good reason why many places have stopped selling season and annual passes (note that MAPs are also off sale). The problem is that while capacity is low, they simply can't give away enough pass holder slots as they need the money from day tickets to stay afloat. Merlin had this problem last season which saw them featured on BBC Watchdog. Paultons still has this problem and it has destroyed the parks reputation, going on their social media pages it is difficult to find any comments not relating to the annual pass problems.
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I expect annual passes will return next year but most parks will keep rethinking their prices. Blackpool Pleasure Beach has always had a relatively expensive pass compared to the Merlin parks and the single park passes will go back to over £100 for 2022.
Merlin passes will likely go back on sale once the park capacity increases but I think there will be fewer sales so the price stays over £200 for the regular passes. The cheap option of the weekday discovery pass will be the only low price option.
 
I have a MAP and live near Alton Towers. For me, having the pass is great as I can visit ATR whenever I wish and benefit from the 20% discount on purchases - which makes everything far more tolerable. In addition, it also gives me the chance to visit A.N. Other Merlin attractions in the UK - which I typically do once a season (Chessington, Thorpe + possibly Lego or Warwick). I have also benefited from the discounts on accommodation and international entry.
 
Ethan said:
Same I don't care about any other park. I'm not really a theme park enthusiastic I'm a towers enthusiast
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I'm sorry, but to point back at an earlier post when you laughed at the notion of 4 fairground flats being a major difference to get us all excited for 2021, I think you've kind of contradicted your own argument there by this post. I'm not criticising you and saying that's a bad thing.

The reason you probably love Towers more than any other park is because it is Alton Towers. It's the location, the garden's, the ruins, the history, the family memories (and those "old rides" as you put it the other day that we all loved at the time), the entertainment, the landscaping, the imagination, the theming, the atmosphere.

If you took AT's core coaster hardware and put them on a flat Tarmac car park, I bet you very few of us would be as enthusiastic about the park as we are. And we are enthusiastic about the place, that's why we want the best for it. Negative old tossers like me may bad mouth the place, but I do it because I love it and hate the way it's majoritly been treated for the best part of 2 decades. A bit like your best mate telling you you've got fat and let yourself go as you've got older.

I don't think there's many people that wouldn't agree that Towers has some impressive ride hardware, set in a stunning location with fantastic infrastructure built into it. Yet for many years it's lacked the basics such as entertainment, supporting attractions, events, decent opening hours, cleanliness, maintenance, decent food options, family rides, dark rides etc. It's very exciting to know that some of these shortfalls - no matter how basic they seem - are being partially rectified in the upcoming season when most of us expected things to continue along the same grim path we've been heading for many years.

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