[2026] CBeebies Land Junior Coaster

[Dave]

Do u think it Octonauts didn’t need planning permission as it was replacing a coaster (Beastie) that originally was on the same plot of land.

No it didn’t need permission as it’s within the GDO.

 

[Danscott22]

My opinion on this is it's fine for the little ones. I don't get all the bashing that's going on. We're not the target audience for it. If it's as basic as basic can be, so be it. The little ones will like it and that's exactly who it's for. Honestly some of these comments

 

[Skyscraper]

My opinion on this is it's fine for the little ones. I don't get all the bashing that's going on. We're not the target audience for it. If it's as basic as basic can be, so be it. The little ones will like it and that's exactly who it's for. Honestly some of these comments

I think the main gripe that most people have is Towers are taking out a ride that has no height restriction, so absolutely anyone can ride it, and replacing it with a coaster which will have a height restriction, so not suitable for everyone.

 

[Martin]

We might not be the target audience directly but lots of us have kids, will have kids, have friends and family who have kids.

It's fine for us as people who know what else is out there in this corner of the market and want better than what this looks like it might be as well as consider the implications for capacity and accessibility in terms of possible height restrictions etc.

"It'll do for kids, they won't know any better" can easily then be reused for any part of the park as an excuse to do the bare minimum "oh who's going to know the difference except a few hundred nerds". Well, that's probably the attitude they've already had for a long time...

 

[Mi-Nigle]

I mentioned this briefly in the Blade closing topic, but I wanted to expand a little here because it’s the main reason I won’t be heading back to Alton Towers anytime soon. The lack of rides that bridge the gap between RMT/Octonauts and Spinball Whizzer/Th13teen is a real sticking point for me.

My daughter is at the stage where she wants to push herself a bit and try something more adventurous, but Spinball is just too intimidating for her. Even if I managed to talk her into going on it, I don’t think she’d thank me afterwards!

The new coaster looks to be aimed mainly at younger kids, which is great for them, but from current available plans, it doesn’t appear to fill that intermediate gap. It feels more like it’s sitting alongside Octonauts in terms of intensity. While I genuinely applaud giving younger children more variety in rides, I do think there’s a growing need for something between the baby coasters and the bigger thrills.

That said, I get that the location and the ride it’s replacing kind of limit what they can do. As much as I think something like Slinky Dog Dash would be a good thrill level for Alton Towers, CBeebies Land is simply not the place to put it.

I just wish the park would consider adding a proper intermediate ride somewhere else in the future. Not just something for kids who are outgrowing the beginner rides but aren’t quite ready for the likes of Spinball, but something modern also. Every time I see a park investing in a Vekoma or Intamin family coaster I think "Yes! That's such a good idea!" I can't believe Merlin execs see them and decide not to follow suit, it feels like such a missed opportunity.

Even though it would require an overnight stay, our next park trip will be Drayton purely because of Gold Rush.

 

[MrTowers]

Could this new coaster have no height requirement like Dino Chase at Paultons park which is why the layout looks so basic. It would certainly fill a gap as it can be a long wait for kids to hit 0.9m to ride their first coaster. It's also worth mentioning that all the info on this states the ride will be enjoyable by the whole family, so that would point to a low height requirement and maybe differentiate it from octonaughts. Maybe towers have actually considered that they are removing a ride that can be enjoyed by all so need something similar to replace it.

As for the maintenance shed, could it be that towers need to create more space with the potential loss of the Horizon area in the future ( i don't know where this currently takes place but would guess that area might be used currently )

Whilst probably never going to happen it's a shame the postman pat ride couldn't be squeezed inside the In The Night Garden ride area, there is certainly space for something in the centre island and both rides could have a retheme either sharing the theme or creating a dual sided theming so the rides are different.

 

[owenstreet7]

Could this new coaster have no height requirement like Dino Chase at Paultons park which is why the layout looks so basic. It would certainly fill a gap as it can be a long wait for kids to hit 0.9m to ride their first coaster. It's also worth mentioning that all the info on this states the ride will be enjoyable by the whole family, so that would point to a low height requirement and maybe differentiate it from octonaughts. Maybe towers have actually considered that they are removing a ride that can be enjoyed by all so need something similar to replace it.

As for the maintenance shed, could it be that towers need to create more space with the potential loss of the Horizon area in the future ( i don't know where this currently takes place but would guess that area might be used currently )

Whilst probably never going to happen it's a shame the postman pat ride couldn't be squeezed inside the In The Night Garden ride area, there is certainly space for something in the centre island and both rides could have a retheme either sharing the theme or creating a dual sided theming so the rides are different.

I'd have thought that the Postman Pat ride system could've gone between Justin's House and Andy's Dinosaur Dig as that seems to be a big empty space.

 

[MrTowers]

I'd have thought that the Postman Pat ride system could've gone between Justin's House and Andy's Dinosaur Dig as that seems to be a big empty space.

I'm not sure it's that big a site, but it would be good to see something added here as well. I think what worries me is there seems to be no further expansion and only replacement rides which do nothing for an area already over capacity most days. It also feels like Cbeebies land is miles behind Thomas Land and Peppa Pig world when it comes to rides.

 

[AltonLover123]

Could this new coaster have no height requirement like Dino Chase at Paultons park which is why the layout looks so basic. It would certainly fill a gap as it can be a long wait for kids to hit 0.9m to ride their first coaster. It's also worth mentioning that all the info on this states the ride will be enjoyable by the whole family, so that would point to a low height requirement and maybe differentiate it from octonaughts. Maybe towers have actually considered that they are removing a ride that can be enjoyed by all so need something similar to replace it.

Very this. We have no what or if the height requirement will be. I’d hope Towers would replace Pat with something like for like in terms of restrictions but until it’s announced, we just don’t know and can only speculate.

I imagine they utilise their feedback data to influence future additions. Maybe all that feedback pointed to what we are getting? We just don’t know.

 

[Bowser]

I'd hope Towers would replace Pat with something like for like in terms of restrictions...

They've already set a precedent for not doing this elsewhere in the park.

 

[owenstreet7]

They've already set a precedent for not doing this elsewhere in the park.

I think a tracked car ride will join the long list of rides removed and not replaced.

 

[Rob]

Bit late to this, but I'm not totally convinced that this is quite what Alton Towers need right now. Sure it is going to be popular and will score well on KPIs when it opens, it is a coaster and the kids will love it. But it appears to be another very entry level coaster and not a particularly exciting one at that. Something to fill the gap between Octonauts and RMT/Spinball would have been more appropriate if they were set on a new kids/younger family coaster.

It will also be a shame to lose Postman Pat which is a very accessible ride, albeit with a poor capacity. But hey, Towers love a coaster.

 

[Squiggs]

I think a tracked car ride will join the long list of rides removed and not replaced.

I can't help but think the most sensible thing to be done in the short term would be to reinstall a rethemed version of the Postman Pat ride system in Dark Forest in some form. It's the one area where there's enough land space within the current park boundaries to effectively install a low-level track ride without replacing a current attraction.

And at this point, it looks like we're probably going to have at least another five years of Dark Forest, which is an area in real need of additional ride capacity and something for little ones to do whilst others are riding the coasters.