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[2023] The Curse at Alton Manor

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Do we reckon the final video will be posted on Friday, for a Saturday opening, or maybe at like 9-10am on Saturday? Would make sense to post on Saturday morning at 10am as that way it will be a countdown finishing when the ride opens?
 
Morgan Price said:
Do we reckon the final video will be posted on Friday, for a Saturday opening, or maybe at like 9-10am on Saturday? Would make sense to post on Saturday morning at 10am as that way it will be a countdown finishing when the ride opens?
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I imagine so, yes.

It’s hard to believe that we’re only a week away from this opening!

It’s also hard for me to believe that I’m only two weeks away from riding it…
 
I wonder if John Wardley will attend on opening day to see the opening? And do we think there will be anything special planned like someone to say a few words before the doors to the Manor open? The first public riders on Wicker Man (I was one) were given a free pin badge when exiting the ride, which was nice.
 
I think he will if he is proud of the end result. He said that Wicker Man was a great coaster, but made very clear that it was "not a John Wardley ride". (Actual Quote).

I love the recent marketing and hope this will be a great example of how to make a brilliantly entertaining dark ride without a Disney / Universal budget.

My spider sense is tingling that this will exceed most expectations 😉
 
Altonadvocate1 said:
I think he will if he is proud of the end result. He said that Wicker Man was a great coaster, but made very clear that it was "not a John Wardley ride". (Actual Quote).

I love the recent marketing and hope this will be a great example of how to make a brilliantly entertaining dark ride without a Disney / Universal budget.

My spider sense is tingling that this will exceed most expectations 😉
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Really hope you’re right.

I’ll be honest in that I’m a bit sceptical as to how much could realistically have changed in a relatively short period of time with not many visible signs of an overhaul given the fact that people have been flying drones there all winter.

Really hope I’m wrong on that though and I think there’s a decent chance I am.
 
I think there was already a core of a good dark ride in Duel upon closure. I wouldn't be too concerned that it wasn't all binned.
 
Altonadvocate1 said:
I think he will if he is proud of the end result. He said that Wicker Man was a great coaster, but made very clear that it was "not a John Wardley ride". (Actual Quote).

I love the recent marketing and hope this will be a great example of how to make a brilliantly entertaining dark ride without a Disney / Universal budget.

My spider sense is tingling that this will exceed most expectations 😉
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Yes and he's disowned The Smiler, never ever talks about it
 
Steve74 said:
Why is that? Given that it was his last ride before he officially retired, it's surprising he doesn't talk about it more. Did he fall out with Gerstlauer or the project design team? Or the accident?
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Probably a mixture of things, he wasn't happy with the end result, the accident or people just don't ask him about it.
The HH was a great ride. I hope this ride is at least as good as Duel
 
RIPCorky said:
Yes and he's disowned The Smiler, never ever talks about it
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When did he disown it?

Wardley rarely talks publically and when he does I don’t recall him spending a whole lot of time talking about his past rides unless he is asked or he is at an event for that particular ride.

As for the Smiler it’s just at that age where it’s old enough to not be “fresh” and young enough to not be “nostalgic” it’s just a jobbing coaster in the park and there doesn’t spark much chat.
 
Dave said:
When did he disown it?
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On the Wickerman article on his website and in the Q&A last year he distanced himself and said he didn't like the theme at all.

He's made clear he had no significant design on the Smiler, he was a consultant like all Merlin projects. His comments seem to suggest the advice was nearly all ignored, or that's how I interpret it.
He hasnt led a project since he retired / resigned from Tussauds in 2002

For this revamp maybe he's been listened to a bit more?
 
Islander said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Wardley is not the only good designer out there. Why this constant, unending idolatry of him, and yearning for him to be involved in every Merlin project there is? Madness.
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I think the desire is expressed by many because, rightly or wrongly, some seem to see him as the only person who’s ever designed revered rides at Alton Towers. Rightly or wrongly, he’s trusted by people and Merlin on their own aren’t.

That’s not a sentiment that I myself agree with, but it is undeniable that he did design many of the park’s great successes, and things like Nemesis and The Haunted House were clearly very successful rides that made him deserve his reputation. With that in mind, I can definitely see why the park keeps calling him back and why people are happy to see him working on things.

I respect John Wardley enormously, and I’m sure that he adds a lot to any project that Merlin bring him onto, but I do agree that he is far from the only talented ride designer out there. I bet Merlin Magic Making could do just as much of a good job even if he wasn’t part of the design team, as there are some very talented folks working there.
 
Islander said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Wardley is not the only good designer out there. Why this constant, unending idolatry of him, and yearning for him to be involved in every Merlin project there is? Madness.
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Oh I don't know maybe because all of his dark rides have been completely destroyed by people who thought they were doing the right thing.
I know it's the internet but it's okay to like someone or appreciate what they've done for UK theme parks. Without him I genuinely believe we would be buying off the shelf models still
 
Islander said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Wardley is not the only good designer out there. Why this constant, unending idolatry of him, and yearning for him to be involved in every Merlin project there is? Madness.
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Because he's had some of the best impact to the industry in the country and we all like the story from James Bond set design to a theme park visionary, many peoples favourite rides in the country are direct result of John Wardley, of course there's going to be some bias, even when John Wardley reiterates a lot that there's far more credit to go to other people involved I'm projects not just himself.
 
Islander said:
I've said it before, I'll say it again: Wardley is not the only good designer out there. Why this constant, unending idolatry of him, and yearning for him to be involved in every Merlin project there is? Madness.
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To be fair I dont think it's about that in the last page, it's confirmed Merlin did involve him so people were just wondering if he'll be at opening.

As a side note I totally understand the respect for him after seeing the huge drop in quality after he left in 2002, although why it dropped is of course more complex than one person leaving. Whether his involvement in present day projects makes any difference, we don't really know, a lot of the time's he's been more of a spokesperson.

But he clearly made an improvement to Wicker man, so still needed on occasion!
 
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