2022: General Discussion

[Skyscraper]

I’ve seen them but never used them. Believe they are new this year and replaced the previous lockers. There are also far far less lockers than there used to be, but I guess people just not use them as much as they used to.

You’ll find them at the entrance, near Galactica, in the Dark Forest and next to Oblivions entrance.

As @jon81uk said, it's very similar to the SeaWorld and Busch Gardens system. At those parks don't most rides not allow bags up the queue line? That's why those lockers are useful.

At Towers, most of the big coasters have baggage racks or holds in the station or at part of the queue line, so most guests will take their bags with them instead of using a locker.

 

[SkinSnatcher]

FYI just incase you weren’t aware, but the hotels at both Thorpe Park and Alton Towers will store your bags for free on your check out day for you to pick up when you are done in the parks.

That's great info for Thorpe Park, thanks! We never stay at an onsite hotel at Alton Towers, always too expensive.

 

[Skyscraper]

FYI just incase you weren’t aware, but the hotels at both Thorpe Park and Alton Towers will store your bags for free on your check out day for you to pick up when you are done in the parks.

How secure is the storage at Towers?

 

[AT86]

How secure is the storage at Towers?

It’s a storage room back of house that is accessed by staff. They will take your bags and bring them out when you ask at reception.

 

[jon81uk]

Also if you check in early before going to the park and leave your bags with the porters at Alton Towers hotels they will move them to the room when its ready.

They put a tag on each bag and give you part of the tag, like a cloakroom, so when collecting bags at checkout you need to show the ticket that matches the tag number so its slightly secure.

Better than Phantasialand where they just gave me the key to the baggage room!

 

[Danscott22]

With Thorpe Park seemingly wanting to re-trial single rider on other rides apart from SAW, do we think it could ever make a return to Towers? Obviously it's on The Smiler, but I wonder if it would ever return to the other attractions?

 

[djtruefitt]

With Thorpe Park seemingly wanting to re-trial single rider on other rides apart from SAW, do we think it could ever make a return to Towers? Obviously it's on The Smiler, but I wonder if it would ever return to the other attractions?

It could easily come back to Oblivion, as the queue is all there, and it goes in to the station, and TH13TEEN now they changed it and brought baggage back.

Gets a bit more complicated for other rides as it was completely removed from Rita and Galactica. Nemesis is still there but it never really worked properly so without a batcher and effort it didn’t help the ride at all.

Spinball has also changed its single rider queue to FT so that wouldn’t return either unfortunately, as that was a great one for wet weather. Unless they put it on the offload where the previous fastrack queue was.

Wicker Man would be no good either as there is no where for the queue to enter the station or anything.

 

[Ethan]

With Thorpe Park seemingly wanting to re-trial single rider on other rides apart from SAW, do we think it could ever make a return to Towers? Obviously it's on The Smiler, but I wonder if it would ever return to the other attractions?

Not on Rita Th13teen or Wicker man I doubt as they're only 2 per row so never as many empty seats it seems. Nemesis I don't think they'd bother because the main queue is always short anyway. Galactica and oblivion are possibilities and it'd be good if they could get it back on them. Its a life saver on smiler tbh as the main queue has been long most times I've been. I remember the main being 60 once and single was 5. I looked at the back of the queue and took note of someone and by the time they got into the station I'd done 7 goes in the hour

 

[BarryZola]

I used to use single rider on Rita, Thirteen, Nemesis and Oblivion and it was almost always a good time saver and plenty of single seats used to come up. I think I used it on Galactica too but can't remember very well as I didn't and don't go on the ride much in general anyway.

 

[John]

2 vs 4 per row shouldn't make a difference to SRQ really - you still get 1 single rider per odd-numbered group unless the batching host makes an effort to pair them. The SRQ on Nemesis just moved faster as the capacity is higher to begin with.

Spinball's was rumoured to come back a couple of years ago but never did. Thirteen's COULD come back on days when baggage is open (though the baggage staff would have to check FP and merge them into main queue rather than letting the station staff deal with that). Oblivion could also return but given their reluctance to even try to fill the 7 available seats it hardly seems likely. The ones on Rita, Nemesis and Galactica will clearly never return and WM was never designed for it.

 

[Skyscraper]

It could easily come back to Oblivion, as the queue is all there, and it goes in to the station, and TH13TEEN now they changed it and brought baggage back.

Gets a bit more complicated for other rides as it was completely removed from Rita and Galactica. Nemesis is still there but it never really worked properly so without a batcher and effort it didn’t help the ride at all.

Spinball has also changed its single rider queue to FT so that wouldn’t return either unfortunately, as that was a great one for wet weather. Unless they put it on the offload where the previous fastrack queue was.

Wicker Man would be no good either as there is no where for the queue to enter the station or anything.

Singer riders were allowed up the exit on Spinball, but it was stopped a while back. Not sure if it's still the same but the SRQ on Galactica was reused for ambulant RAP, although they then tarmacked over the steps to create ramps.

 

[djtruefitt]

2 vs 4 per row shouldn't make a difference to SRQ really - you still get 1 single rider per odd-numbered group unless the batching host makes an effort to pair them. The SRQ on Nemesis just moved faster as the capacity is higher to begin with.

Spinball's was rumoured to come back a couple of years ago but never did. Thirteen's COULD come back on days when baggage is open (though the baggage staff would have to check FP and merge them into main queue rather than letting the station staff deal with that). Oblivion could also return but given their reluctance to even try to fill the 7 available seats it hardly seems likely. The ones on Rita, Nemesis and Galactica will clearly never return and WM was never designed for it.

I’ve seen baggage check fastrack this season and send everyone down on queue line. Randomly once the whole queue went on the right hand side with the left hand side closed off.

 

[rob666]

It could easily come back to Oblivion, as the queue is all there, and it goes in to the station, and TH13TEEN now they changed it and brought baggage back.

Gets a bit more complicated for other rides as it was completely removed from Rita and Galactica. Nemesis is still there but it never really worked properly so without a batcher and effort it didn’t help the ride at all.

Spinball has also changed its single rider queue to FT so that wouldn’t return either unfortunately, as that was a great one for wet weather. Unless they put it on the offload where the previous fastrack queue was.

Wicker Man would be no good either as there is no where for the queue to enter the station or anything.

Nemesis single rider never worked properly???
Depends on your individual perspective...
It worked bloody lovely for me for years!

 

[John]

It was great for people using it but it increased loading times and usually reduced the overall throughput of the ride by several trains per hour. Removing it was a sensible decision.

 

[Skyscraper]

I’ve seen baggage check fastrack this season and send everyone down on queue line. Randomly once the whole queue went on the right hand side with the left hand side closed off.

That's interesting, do the baggage kiosk allow ambulant RAP to merge onto the main queue steps (if ambulant RAP are still allowed through the fast track entrance this season)?

 

[RicketyCricket]

It was great for people using it but it increased loading times and usually reduced the overall throughput of the ride by several trains per hour. Removing it was a sensible decision.

That's down to the staff surely? The issue was IIRC they'd often wait til the train is loaded and then hurry a single rider through. If they batch them in sensibly it would work fine.

The main issue was congestion on the exit ramp with RAP I believe.

 

[rob666]

It was fantastic for me because my wife stopped riding it, I could be in and out in two minutes, and all those stairs could be avoided with my dodgy knees/hips/back.
And you could get straight back on into the same seat sometimes if the staff were matey and on the ball.

 

[tech]

Personally I’d dearly love to see a decent Parent Swap system back in place, but single rider queues would be a welcome alternative and would arguably benefit more people.

 

[Poisson]

Nemesis SRQ loaded wrong side so is fundamentally flawed. I'd rather they just cracked on and threw trains out sharpish

 

[djtruefitt]

Nemesis single rider never worked properly???
Depends on your individual perspective...
It worked bloody lovely for me for years!

The problem with it, if there wasn’t a batcher (which nemesis doesn’t usually have) is you almost have to wait for the train to be loaded before you can work out where single riders go. Then as a single rider you have to battle all those getting off the ride and those putting bags away to then get to your seat. Often to the confusion of those in the train as to why someone random has just joined them from the exit. I’ve also seen it where you get sent to a seat only for it to actually be taken by someone putting a bag in the cage.
Of course onload single riders work much better.

That's interesting, do the baggage kiosk allow ambulant RAP to merge onto the main queue steps (if ambulant RAP are still allowed through the fast track entrance this season)?

RAP is a bit like it used to be as far as I’m aware now, as you use the old single rider queue line next to the fastrack queue, but you then go through that gate up the exit of the ride. Previously you always used the whole exit to get there and go In the way of those trying to exit the ride.

Not sure if all RAP does this or if they merge you in the main queue as I don’t have RAP. I guess when baggage is shut you automatically go to the exit. And FT go straight up to the station. Think now HEX is back open then we won’t see baggage on 13 very often due to the staff being used in Hex Now.