2026: General Discussion

[Mykeprime]

Making FV the main entrance would totally mess up its vibe.
Though I love that the monorail goes through the park with some great views, if it's too past it maybe just put a tram system around the edge of the park. Hell bring back the railway! Choo Choo

 

[dave___]

Even if FV was the “new” entrance I’d probably still walk down to the main one as it’s closer to Wicker Man, X Sector and so on. Fair old walk from FV even if you take the shortcuts if you want to be at the front of the queue for Smiler

 

[Excalibur]

Having watched numerous vlogs and updates of social media from the opening it’s clear to see that not much has got done over closed season.

I used to really enjoy watching all the updates on socials and watching the buzz about the place but each year it seems to be getting less and less.

I really do worry for the future of Towers’ having worked there and helped commission and launch The Smiler it is completely different back then and it shows in my opinion the general lot and care for the place seems to have disappeared and now with long term and committed staff leaving it seems like it’s only a matter of time before it turns into a generic theme park.

I hope if they do sell that someone with great enthusiasm and passion takes over and doesn't let it rot anymore than it has.

 

[Bert2theSpark]

I hope if they do sell that someone with great enthusiasm and passion takes over and doesn't let it rot anymore than it has.

I’ve been wondering this the past couple of days, because at the moment it’s clear Merlin has no clear intent to invest at Alton Towers.

Which brings up the point of why keep the park stagnant if Merlin need to pay down debt inherited from a different leadership in an a different economic environment. The only way I can see things continuing is either Merlin see growth potential with the park and invest to bring people in droves or sell the park to a more willing operator and use the funds to invest in areas they do see growth potential for the company.

Alton Towers is a much more sticky business than Merlin is, there’s always going to be an operator willing to run the park and it’s such a sizeable business in the area that local authorities won’t let it go away entirely due to the significant loss of employment and tourism in the area. I can’t really see the paradigm that Alton Towers is in currently lasting.

This has a very different feel to the cutbacks of 2016, as at least at the time we knew about the development of SW8 and the prospect of renewal at the park with the TLC program. Additionally the 2016 cutbacks with ride closures seemed a bit more concrete than the temperamental availability of attractions that we see now. You knew which rides were shut but you still got on the essentials and must-dos.

I felt really sad seeing the state of the park from TPWW’s opening day vlog especially with Katanga Canyon practically being a ghost town when that essentially feels like classic Alton Towers. I really hope the status quo doesn’t hold and that we see renewal soon.