Danscott22
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Smiler
They say this - I hope they aren't saying it knowing that certain rides will still be closed, because then they're just asking for backlash.
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2022: General Discussion
- Thread starter Danny
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Skyscraper
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
djtruefitt
TS Team
Lets hope they’ve had a successful week of maintenance and staff training then if all rides are due to open!
Even if Enterprise isn't ready I doubt they'll receive any backlash
djtruefitt
TS Team
I think it’s been many years since Enterprise has done a full season. It usually has at least a month or two of the season shut, sometimes the start, sometimes the middle or sometimes the end of the season.
The problem is with a lot of these rides, they are still in their winter maintenance so the staff have had zero training. not so bad for a ride like enterprise as training isn’t hard or long, but for a ride like The Smiler it requires a lot more longer training for the staff to be signed off, even old staff still require retraining and signing off.
The problem is with a lot of these rides, they are still in their winter maintenance so the staff have had zero training. not so bad for a ride like enterprise as training isn’t hard or long, but for a ride like The Smiler it requires a lot more longer training for the staff to be signed off, even old staff still require retraining and signing off.
Islander
TS Member
The ‘Risk of Drowning’ signs are 100% as a result of the new HSE Rapids Guidance, and not a Merlin decision (I mean, aside from the decision to comply or not to comply with HSE guidance…).
I imagine they’ll be in addition to clear safety warnings in the queueline, given individually to guests on boarding, additional spotters around the ride, a definite ‘no’ on the return of the waterfalls etc., and plenty of other measures to boot.
This is absolutely the HSE trying to close rapids, without ACTUALLY giving that instruction, but instead making them incredibly costly and difficult to operate compliantly. Can guarantee there’ll never be a new rapids built in the UK, and existing operators are very much wanting to close their rides but not being able to due to a mixture of still waiting on return of investment capital, detrimental impact on guests days etc.
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I imagine they’ll be in addition to clear safety warnings in the queueline, given individually to guests on boarding, additional spotters around the ride, a definite ‘no’ on the return of the waterfalls etc., and plenty of other measures to boot.
This is absolutely the HSE trying to close rapids, without ACTUALLY giving that instruction, but instead making them incredibly costly and difficult to operate compliantly. Can guarantee there’ll never be a new rapids built in the UK, and existing operators are very much wanting to close their rides but not being able to due to a mixture of still waiting on return of investment capital, detrimental impact on guests days etc.
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I really don’t think anyone has a clue unfortunately. They have definitely been doing work on them over closed season because they were enclosed in scaffolding etc for a while. Whether this is because the waterfalls are being recommissioned is anyone’s guess. Could just mean they were repointing the masonry to keep it safely maintained due to proximity to riders. Time will tell!
If Merlin are unable, by law, to operate them in all their glory I can see them going in the not too distant future to be honest in favour of a new family thrill ride, potentially as SW9. They’d need some filler attractions that all the family could ride though.
Danscott22
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Smiler
I don't think anyones sure yet - the themed masks are gone and the facade has been done up, whilst that may indicate they might, who knows at this point.
Matt.GC
TS Member
I have a clue/am sure. They won't be in operation next season.
Just popping this here as a handy reference point ahead of the weekend.
Hmm bit of a weird one saying they expect all rides to be open, when obviously they knew enterprise, Smiler and rapids wouldn't be. They should've just stuck to the bottom line of "Our rides are subject to availability" as then they're not putting a picture in guests head that they'll get there and everything will be open
Forget to mention that multiple rides in pieces still …
DistortAMG
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- POTC Disneyland Paris
I disagree somewhat. Take a swimming pool for example, plenty of life guards, plenty of signs conveying the risks, I've even seen signs clearly mentioning risks of drowning in some pools. Similar risk prevention measures in place for some of the risks, which is a given, as the biggest risk to both rapids and pools is the water, which share the same attributes across both mediums. They are not trying to close pools, despite similar things in place. So I struggle to agree with that statement, for those reasons.
We have one of the strictest H&S executives the world, if they were trying to close rapids because they were unsafe and they risked peoples lives to a great extent, they would just close them. Period. They would not gamble with peoples lives. What they have done, is reduced the risks on peoples lives by increasing safety, because of that, it means it costs more money to bring the risks down to an acceptable level. That is very different from purposely making them too expensive to run.
There is nothing inherently in the new guidelines / legislation that states they cannot out right run things such as waterfalls, wave machines and pistols. Just that they significantly increase the risks - so more risk mitigating things must be put in place. This update to the legislation is confirmed by Drayton operating wave machines, Thorpe operating waterfalls, again, all under the same legislation.
I am optimistic the waterfalls will return, not only did it appear that work was being done on them, the 'theming' features have been removed in line with if they were going to operate them again. (EDIT: that could also be a result of construction work though) But they have also added signs immediately after the falls. The falls being a high risk area (if working!) and the signs being a mitigating safety feature in said high risk area - exactly as the legislation requires for such features to operate. I would also bet there will be a 'spotter' stationed around that area.
We will see, I would love them to return, along with the wave machines. Hopefully they can.
Edit - Just realised this should probably be in the Congo topic, but was replying to a specific comment.
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Danscott22
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- The Smiler
I’m not getting that implication, it probably will be ready, we all knew it was still gonna be down this weekend
DistortAMG
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- POTC Disneyland Paris
Correct me if I am wrong, but from how I read that. It appears Alton Towers are responding solely to the question of it being closed right now. Not opening weekend. They mention why it is closed, not why it will be closed.
Do Merlin even run their own social media? A lot of large companies outsource this now - the tell tale sign is stupid meaningless responses like the one above. The person who posted it probably saw it was closed on the app and found the relevant corporate approved response from a crib sheet.
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