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2022: General Discussion

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In theory they could probably run Oblivion on (say) 2 shuttles and push maintenance on those into main season (presumably something similar already happens with spinball to allow that to run in winter) but it quickly starts to get logistically awkward.

I imagine adding more big rides to winter season is just seen as more trouble than it's worth, given the demographics of the event.
 
Thameslink Rail said:
I also think it's strange there's no Get Set Go or Driving School although the former usually closes at dusk so it wouldn't get many hours.
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Driving School is open. Get Set Go as you say has to close at dusk, so would only be open for half the day so doesn't seem worth it.
 
Dave said:
It’s also worth pointing out a lot of Towers rides where never intended for year round operations. Most year round parks have spare trains so they can strip them down all year round, something Merlin should think about for the future.
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There's also the issue that many of the coasters have minimum operating temperatures that would preclude them from being available on some of colder December days - this has been an issue previously at particularly cold Fireworks weekends and at February half-term IIRC.
 
Rita is usually a nightmare to get ready in time for main season I am lead to believe. Also I imagine it is below minimum temps for the launch system.

Oblivion on the other hand might be feasible but then you'd have to open all of XS, probably not worth it.
 
Dave said:
My understanding is the park would like more rides open but tech services don’t have the staff to do closed season maintenance on the bigger rides if they stay open for Christmas.

And as Merlin won’t increase Tech services pay they couldn’t recruit even if they wanted to.

It’s also worth pointing out a lot of Towers rides where never intended for year round operations. Most year round parks have spare trains so they can strip them down all year round, something Merlin should think about for the future.
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I’ve seen what Merlin are paying for what would be a very skilled high risk role as a controls engineer.

The salary is farcical for what they’re asking


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro
 
Danscott22 said:
I think the line up is fine for a family Christmas event. I'm not sure anything else really needs to be open. Project Horizon will likely be added to this lineup with it being indoors I'd have thought.
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I take it that’s based on the assumption that Project Horizon will be a family attraction rather than a thrill ride?

If it is a family attraction, I agree that it is likely to be added to the Christmas lineup. If it is a thrill attraction, however, I think it would be somewhat out of step with the rest of the event. If that were the case, I wouldn’t expect it to be added unless the park drastically overhauled its entire Christmas offering.
 
Matt N said:
I take it that’s based on the assumption that Project Horizon will be a family attraction rather than a thrill ride?

If it is a family attraction, I agree that it is likely to be added to the Christmas lineup. If it is a thrill attraction, however, I think it would be somewhat out of step with the rest of the event. If that were the case, I wouldn’t expect it to be added unless the park drastically overhauled its entire Christmas offering.
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I’m not expecting Horizon to be any more thrilling than Wickerman or Spinball, indoor coasters aren’t often high thrill, even revenge of the Mummy is only a 1.2m restriction. It would probably be a perfect addition to a Christmas line up. Although if they do surprise us and go with a 1.4m restriction ride then I would change my mind.
 
Anyone know the situation with entertainment at the park this Christmas? When they got permission for the stage on the lawns the idea was this would be moved to fountain square for winter season - has that happened?

There doesn’t appear to be any sign of Christmas shows in the app or on the map they released. Have they stripped this back or is it just not advertised anywhere?
 
AT86 said:
Anyone know the situation with entertainment at the park this Christmas? When they got permission for the stage on the lawns the idea was this would be moved to fountain square for winter season - has that happened?

There doesn’t appear to be any sign of Christmas shows in the app or on the map they released. Have they stripped this back or is it just not advertised anywhere?
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Panto isn’t mentioned at all for Santa Sleepover guests so I assume they have stopped bothering with it.
 
jon81uk said:
Panto isn’t mentioned at all for Santa Sleepover guests so I assume they have stopped bothering with it.
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Yes I noticed they hadn’t included any mention of Panto, but I was thinking of the general Christmas entertainment for all guests - carols, live music bands etc.

Edit - seems the info is hidden away on a blog post:

You’ll be delighted with lively entertainment performed throughout the day on Towers Street, guaranteed to get you singing, dancing, and cheering along!

Check out what’s on:

  • Hot Dog Brass Band – The dynamic brass band performs a mixture of pop, funk, and Christmas hits!
  • Twisted Balloons – Characterful balloon modeller twisting colourful creations
  • Old Time Rags Travelling Show – An exciting interaction performance with vaudeville flair
  • Jolly Juggler – A jolly juggling entertainment show that has the wow-factor!
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www.altontowers.com

‘Tis the season for festive fun! | Alton Towers Resort

We’re all feeling festive here at the Resort as our busy team of elves add the finishing flourishes to the grottos, extra sparkle to our Christmas trees and sing Christmas cheers for all to hear!
www.altontowers.com www.altontowers.com
 
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Matt N said:
I take it that’s based on the assumption that Project Horizon will be a family attraction rather than a thrill ride?

If it is a family attraction, I agree that it is likely to be added to the Christmas lineup. If it is a thrill attraction, however, I think it would be somewhat out of step with the rest of the event. If that were the case, I wouldn’t expect it to be added unless the park drastically overhauled its entire Christmas offering.
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No, it’s just based on the assumption that’s it enclosed. Regardless of whether it’s thrill or family
 
Danscott22 said:
No, it’s just based on the assumption that’s it enclosed. Regardless of whether it’s thrill or family
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To be honest if we end up with something along the lines of Walking Dead the ride (god forbid!) that really isn't something you'd really expect to see in a family festive line up...
 
A few improvements made to the Christmas event this year, but a few negatives as well over last year.

It was much busier this weekend than when I visited over the same period last year. I suspect the obscene snow over the top of the hills may have put people off coming last year on that weekend, but the much larger crowd levels were noticeable. There were 15-minute queues for Octonauts and Spinball and a slightly longer one for GG. Didn't get a chance to see the Hex queue, but there was a good stream of people continuously entering through the doors.

Woodcutters was also fairly full mid-afternoon, but it seemed like staff had forgotten how to greet people and show them to tables. The service was also a tad on the slow side, but no complaints other than that.

As posted above, the Christmas trees throughout the park mostly seemed pretty sparse. At night they are much better with the lighting on, but it does feel half-arsed in the day.

The majority of stalls no longer flank the bottom of Towers Street; but were placed quite tidily opposite each other at the bottom of the lawns, with any unused stalls containing benches. There was a quaint little musical duet as well that gathered a bit of a crowd.

The entrance for Lightopia seemed like a bizarre decision. The pathway down to Mutiny Bay from Towers Street is blocked off, so you have to go on the market area of the lawns and then through a tight section of temporary fencing to access it. Why not just have the full pathway open?


Lightopia itself was much busier than expected. Whereas last year we were able to stop at every feature and spend a good amount of time getting photos uninterrupted, there must have been hundreds of people milling through this time round. It's certainly making its money worth. However, given the theme is on Winter and Christmas, much of the set pieces from last year have been reused including a number of tropical installations. People with pushchairs might struggle in the latter end of the Gardens as there is no alternative non-step access.

There's a musical / lighting section taking place in the valley of the gardens that can be seen from at the top, and the water show on the lake worked much better this year. It would be fantastic to see this become a permanent addition year-round, and I know this has been explored before. Get on with it please.

A few improvements for next year perhaps:

RMT or Wicker Man on one train. Certainly seems like an option that could be explored given the crowd levels and also the extra pull it would have. RMT might not be feasible due to its entrance being in the Lightopia route, so it would essentially be an upcharge extra, but perhaps there's another way.

Decorate the damn trees. Sure, they look lovely with the lighting at night, but first impressions in the day count.

Do something more with the Towers. Some projection mapping wouldn't go amiss.

Step-free Lightopia accessibility. 95 per cent of the route doesn't require any steps, but this falls on the final hurdle. A lot of parents struggling with prams on the steps by the conservatories. Putting down a temporary sloped grip ramp could alleviate this problem, and also some signage towards the end when observing the Gardens light show so people know to walk back on themselves and not have to go up the small amount of steps.
 
Danny said:
A few improvements made to the Christmas event this year, but a few negatives as well over last year.

It was much busier this weekend than when I visited over the same period last year. I suspect the obscene snow over the top of the hills may have put people off coming last year on that weekend, but the much larger crowd levels were noticeable. There were 15-minute queues for Octonauts and Spinball and a slightly longer one for GG. Didn't get a chance to see the Hex queue, but there was a good stream of people continuously entering through the doors.

Woodcutters was also fairly full mid-afternoon, but it seemed like staff had forgotten how to greet people and show them to tables. The service was also a tad on the slow side, but no complaints other than that.

As posted above, the Christmas trees throughout the park mostly seemed pretty sparse. At night they are much better with the lighting on, but it does feel half-arsed in the day.

The majority of stalls no longer flank the bottom of Towers Street; but were placed quite tidily opposite each other at the bottom of the lawns, with any unused stalls containing benches. There was a quaint little musical duet as well that gathered a bit of a crowd.

The entrance for Lightopia seemed like a bizarre decision. The pathway down to Mutiny Bay from Towers Street is blocked off, so you have to go on the market area of the lawns and then through a tight section of temporary fencing to access it. Why not just have the full pathway open?


Lightopia itself was much busier than expected. Whereas last year we were able to stop at every feature and spend a good amount of time getting photos uninterrupted, there must have been hundreds of people milling through this time round. It's certainly making its money worth. However, given the theme is on Winter and Christmas, much of the set pieces from last year have been reused including a number of tropical installations. People with pushchairs might struggle in the latter end of the Gardens as there is no alternative non-step access.

There's a musical / lighting section taking place in the valley of the gardens that can be seen from at the top, and the water show on the lake worked much better this year. It would be fantastic to see this become a permanent addition year-round, and I know this has been explored before. Get on with it please.

A few improvements for next year perhaps:

RMT or Wicker Man on one train. Certainly seems like an option that could be explored given the crowd levels and also the extra pull it would have. RMT might not be feasible due to its entrance being in the Lightopia route, so it would essentially be an upcharge extra, but perhaps there's another way.

Decorate the damn trees. Sure, they look lovely with the lighting at night, but first impressions in the day count.

Do something more with the Towers. Some projection mapping wouldn't go amiss.

Step-free Lightopia accessibility. 95 per cent of the route doesn't require any steps, but this falls on the final hurdle. A lot of parents struggling with prams on the steps by the conservatories. Putting down a temporary sloped grip ramp could alleviate this problem, and also some signage towards the end when observing the Gardens light show so people know to walk back on themselves and not have to go up the small amount of steps.
Click to expand...
I visited the other day for Lightopia and have to say I was disappointed compared to last year. I felt that this year the route felt more bare, disjointed and a lot of lights were either broken or dirty / damaged. It definitely didn't have the wow factor last year's had. Last year you went through sections of the seasons, animals, fantasy etc but this year it was just a mash up missing some impressive effects from last year. If you've never been I'm sure you'd find it enjoyable but last year was 10/10 and I'd say this year was a 5/10.

On the subject of steps they have installed a lift next to the gardens conservatory for people with pushchairs and wheelchairs.
 
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