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2024: General Discussion

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Max said:
Did Oktoberfest make Scarefest pointless? The additional entertainment offering justifies the event
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I’d personally go one event or the other I wouldn’t go to both. If you can go on rides in the dark earlier no point waiting for scarefest
 
This sort of thing is just the ticket.

Not blanket late closes, but targeted late hours on the days when the park is busy. A few years ago, there were 8pm closes on Sundays and all sorts - and the park was just deserted after 6pm. Saturdays are absolutely the day when they should go all out and really throw out a great guest experience.

I am hoping for some lighting on the likes of Nemesis, and maybe a bit of extra entertainment here and there too.

Great!
 
I’ll probably hugely regret it but I’ve just swapped my opening weekend booking from Sunday to Saturday because of this.

Gonna be a long day…
 
Happy Ice Hockey GIF by NHL
 
I don’t want to jump to conclusions with these late openings, but does this mean Towers are pretty certain that Nemesis will be ready for opening
 
havaska said:
Before I book tickets, just how busy is it likely to be?
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It's on a Saturday, expect it to be busy!

Ethan said:
I don’t want to jump to conclusions with these late openings, but does this mean Towers are pretty certain that Nemesis will be ready for opening
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Who knows, maybe they did this for another reason, for future planning on longer operating hours maybe? Or maybe they want to open the park longer as well in case Nemesis is swarmed with riders (If it is operating that is, which I, higher see it operating.
 
It’s great to see 8pm closures coming in March.

Oh how we’ve moaned on here about rubbish early closures at 6pm/5pm on weekends.

We saw hints of the fresh and new approach of new management last season, but to be hit with 8pm closures in March is, I think, a great sign of what is to come.

Am I right in thinking 6pm summer weekend closures have been the norm for several years? I don’t tend to visit on weekends apart from on fireworks.
 
s_g_k said:
Am I right in thinking 6pm summer weekend closures have been the norm for several years? I don’t tend to visit on weekends apart from on fireworks.
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It has been the norm for a while yes. I can live with 6pm I think that’s a decent closing time. 5pm is definitely too early for weekends. That extra hour makes a big difference. Will be interesting to see how many people stay til later on these Saturday late openings
 
Ethan said:
I’d personally go one event or the other I wouldn’t go to both. If you can go on rides in the dark earlier no point waiting for scarefest
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I have something to tell you and it may come as something of a shock….

…. Not everyone goes to Alton Towers to whore rollercoasters in low light levels.

In all seriousness if they expand late openings outside of events they do need to ensure the URP for the events are strong, and Scarefest is the one that has weakened the most over time.
 
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Weirdly, unless I'm missing something, no Dungeon tickets available yet. You'd think now they've started promoting individual dates - i.e. pushing people to buy - they'd want their upsells to be on sale as part of the booking process.
 
Dave said:
I have something to tell you and it may come as something as a shock….

…. Not everyone goes to Alton Towers to whore rollercoasters in low light levels.

In all seriousness if they expand late openings outside of events they do need to ensure the URP for the events are strong, and Scarefest is the one that has weakened the most over time.
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This is precisely what I mean though. The mazes and entertainment have been a bit crap for a few years now so how many people will actually turn up to this event just to pay extra to do some mazes
 
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Ethan said:
This is precisely what I mean though. The mazes and entertainment has been a bit crap for a few years now so how many people will actually turn upto this event just to pay extra to do some mazes
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Plenty of people will never have been to Scarefest before, though. To those people, the mazes and entertainment will be every bit as impactful as brand new mazes and entertainment. Enthusiasts who go to the event every year are likely in the minority.

This could be a controversial view, but I do believe that much of why Scarefest is so panned among enthusiasts these days is down to overfamiliarity and the mazes staying the same for a long time rather than the mazes themselves actually being poor quality. People who are going for the first time, or even people who haven't been in quite a few years, will not feel that same overfamiliarity and feeling of "been there, done that" with the Scarefest lineup. Surely these first time visitors will not be an insignificant portion of visitors to Scarefest?
 
Ethan said:
This is precisely what I mean though. The mazes and entertainment have been a bit crap for a few years now so how many people will actually turn up to this event just to pay extra to do some mazes
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Come on Ethan, you have to develop your sight beyond the end of your nose.
Other people do not like exactly the same things as you do.
Most people (thoosies excepted) do not do scarefest every year, and new people turn up every year for a fresh experience, among many other scare attractions available at that time of year.

On this occasion, a couple of extra hours have been offered, in effect for free, for a nice bit of night riding...and you still bloody grumble!
Wise up and be thankful for what you have got!
 
Ethan said:
This is precisely what I mean though. The mazes and entertainment have been a bit crap for a few years now so how many people will actually turn up to this event just to pay extra to do some mazes
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That was last year, how do you know there isn’t a plan for this year?

How many more times can it be pointed out that there is a brand new management structure throughout the company and that the first season they can make an impact is 2024.

That’s not to say it will happen, or to say they will get it perfect this season, just pointing out that they may actually have a strategy.
 
Well the 8pm opening for the first 3 Saturdays of the season has come as a nice unexpected surprise! When was the last time that Alton Towers opened until 8pm on a March Saturday!?

Something tells me they have a nice Nemesis lighting package they want to show off. Hopefully the park does stay reasonably busy until 8pm on these days, would really show them that there is demand for later openings.
 
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