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2026: General Discussion

I am on a Alton Strike at the moment myself, and will not go back till all the rides on the ride availbilty page are operating. Don't want to spend half the time ranting about the state of avaibilty. Shame to as do love the rides at Towers Wickerman, Nemesis Reborn, Hex, Curse and The Smiler are some of my favourite rides.

I hope something is done regarding these, I have heard this is not the first time Towers has had downwarda spell.

Would rather go suppport some other parks, which I find you can have more fun at. And have majoroty of the rides open.
 
Hid said:
I am on a Alton Strike at the moment myself, and will not go back till all the rides on the ride availbilty page are operating. Don't want to spend half the time ranting about the state of avaibilty. Shame to as do love the rides at Towers Wickerman, Nemesis Reborn, Hex, Curse and The Smiler are some of my favourite rides.

I hope something is done regarding these, I have heard this is not the first time Towers has had downwarda spell.

Would rather go suppport some other parks, which I find you can have more fun at. And have majoroty of the rides open.
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You might be waiting a while - correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure the actual gondolas on the Skyride aren't on the 'track' so unless they do this in closed season often, I don't think we will see it for a while. RMT I have no idea exactly if it's testing, and what's being done to it - could someone fill me in? - but otherwise, with Congo and Battle Galleons meant to be opening in May, and the Monorail testing, I think a lot less rides will be shut within a month.
 
MrCoaster said:
You might be waiting a while - correct me if I'm wrong but I'm sure the actual gondolas on the Skyride aren't on the 'track' so unless they do this in closed season often, I don't think we will see it for a while. RMT I have no idea exactly if it's testing, and what's being done to it - could someone fill me in? - but otherwise, with Congo and Battle Galleons meant to be opening in May, and the Monorail testing, I think a lot less rides will be shut within a month.
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The gondolas are not fixed to the cable, there is a storage garage. Just because they are not hanging off the cable doesn’t mean much. It hasn’t as far as I am aware started testing though.
 
Hid said:
I am on a Alton Strike at the moment myself, and will not go back till all the rides on the ride availbilty page are operating. Don't want to spend half the time ranting about the state of avaibilty. Shame to as do love the rides at Towers Wickerman, Nemesis Reborn, Hex, Curse and The Smiler are some of my favourite rides.

I hope something is done regarding these, I have heard this is not the first time Towers has had downwarda spell.

Would rather go suppport some other parks, which I find you can have more fun at. And have majoroty of the rides open.
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I’m also having a break from Merlin parks at the moment, in favour of visiting theme parks abroad and the non-Merlin parks in the UK. It’s not a boycott, just that I’m always pretty underwhelmed when I visit Merlin parks, yet have a fantastic time when I visit parks elsewhere.

I think that part of the reason for this is a problem that Merlin have created. With MAP, cheap vouchers and low online pricing, they’ve not only devalued the experience but have also created a situation where people have visited so much that they find it a totally underwhelming experience. Add downtime issues into that and you’ve got a very unfavourable situation.

In Shawn Sanbrooke’s video on the decline of Alton Towers, he mentions that people start to notice things like peeling paint etc only on their 2nd or 3rd visit. I think this is so true, but Merlin rely almost entirely on short-term repeat custom, whereas the like of Paultons Park are more than happy for people to only make one visit per year.

I think the main reason that I’ve become so underwhelmed by Merlin parks is because I e visited so much over the years that I’m really noticing the imperfections more and am now longer feeling wowed by Merlin’s offering. I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels like this, but Merlin have created this problem for themselves. And with other UK parks like Paultons, Crealy, and (to a lesser extent) Lightwater Valley and Pleasurewood Hills really starting to step up their game, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of MAP holders stop renewing their passes unless Merlin really sort out their parks.
 
Hid said:
I am on a Alton Strike at the moment myself, and will not go back till all the rides on the ride availbilty page are operating. Don't want to spend half the time ranting about the state of avaibilty. Shame to as do love the rides at Towers Wickerman, Nemesis Reborn, Hex, Curse and The Smiler are some of my favourite rides.

I hope something is done regarding these, I have heard this is not the first time Towers has had downwarda spell.

Would rather go suppport some other parks, which I find you can have more fun at. And have majoroty of the rides open.
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What changed for you?

Every previous post I’ve seen from you (including recently) has been defending the availability of the attractions you refer to.

Genuinely curious as to what flipped your thinking.
 
It’s certainly true to say people will notice smaller details the more they go - good or bad. You’re more likely to be interested in the big stuff initially - the rides, the structures etc. Most of that is the long term investment stuff and it’s something I’d argue the park has been using as a crutch for many years.

The excellent investments of the past, like Oblivion, Hex, the monorail, RMT, the hotels and waterpark, have all served to provide an excellent backbone to the park’s offering for years. As we all know, these are all slowly starting to decline such that they’re closed, broken or just too outdated. As that backbone declines, it brings the smaller details to the fore - operations, cleanliness, efficiency, entertainment, food and drink. None of those elements are in a good enough place to offset the degradation in infrastructure.
 
AltonLover123 said:
What changed for you?

Every previous post I’ve seen from you (including recently) has been defending the availability of the attractions you refer to.

Genuinely curious as to what flipped your thinking.
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Walking round opening day through Katanga Canyon was the final straw 3 high capacity rides all down seeing all 3 in one position was sad Katanga Canyon is one of the last of my childhood areas.

Monorail closed really adjtated me as I love watching the different trains moving past areas
 
Enter Valhalla said:
In Shawn Sanbrooke’s video on the decline of Alton Towers, he mentions that people start to notice things like peeling paint etc only on their 2nd or 3rd visit. I think this is so true, but Merlin rely almost entirely on short-term repeat custom, whereas the like of Paultons Park are more than happy for people to only make one visit per year.

I think the main reason that I’ve become so underwhelmed by Merlin parks is because I e visited so much over the years that I’m really noticing the imperfections more and am now longer feeling wowed by Merlin’s offering. I’m sure I’m not the only person who feels like this, but Merlin have created this problem for themselves. And with other UK parks like Paultons, Crealy, and (to a lesser extent) Lightwater Valley and Pleasurewood Hills really starting to step up their game, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of MAP holders stop renewing their passes unless Merlin really sort out their parks.
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Its interesting because whilst i agree with this theory in principle, I’m not sure it completely holds true.

The park we visit most frequently is Adventure Island in Southend. We have an Annual pass that costs £60 a year, which is very affordable but implies the quality you’ll be getting.

Yet we never come away with the negative experiences that we get from Merlin parks. The rides are almost always working, the queues always short, friendly staff etc.

It’s not about being tired of the experience due to repetition, it’s about the day delivering on the basics that you’ve paid for.

Now in Merlin’s defence, we mostly had good days at Chessington and Legoland too, albeit they are boosted by my knowledge of the parks.

I find AT and Thorpe are the parks where it’s increasingly difficult to have a good day without preparation and luck, which isn’t how a theme park should be.
 
Bowser said:
Its interesting because whilst i agree with this theory in principle, I’m not sure it completely holds true.

The park we visit most frequently is Adventure Island in Southend. We have an Annual pass that costs £60 a year, which is very affordable but implies the quality you’ll be getting.

Yet we never come away with the negative experiences that we get from Merlin parks. The rides are almost always working, the queues always short, friendly staff etc.

It’s not about being tired of the experience due to repetition, it’s about the day delivering on the basics that you’ve paid for.

Now in Merlin’s defence, we mostly had good days at Chessington and Legoland too, albeit they are boosted by my knowledge of the parks.

I find AT and Thorpe are the parks where it’s increasingly difficult to have a good day without preparation and luck, which isn’t how a theme park should be.
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I would also wager that, for you in particular, the sheer amount of time and planning it takes to get to Alton Towers and have a sub par experience is particularly egregious. Especially when it's relatively easier / similar to travel across the channel and have a more pleasant time.
 
Hid said:
Walking round opening day through Katanga Canyon was the final straw 3 high capacity rides all down seeing all 3 in one position was sad Katanga Canyon is one of the last of my childhood areas.

Monorail closed really adjtated me as I love watching the different trains moving past areas
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Post in thread '2026: General Discussion'
https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/2026-general-discussion.7765/post-541842

It wasn’t an issue for you on Thursday, which was well after opening day?
 
Dave said:
The gondolas are not fixed to the cable, there is a storage garage. Just because they are not hanging off the cable doesn’t mean much. It hasn’t as far as I am aware started testing though.
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Oh right - didn't know that! Thanks for clearing that up 🙂
 
GaryH said:
I might pop up for Scarefest this year but otherwise I won’t be bothering to visit until things are better. With the cost of fuel now it not worth the long journey.
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That's a very valid point. I've heard some people say that "you shouldn't complain if entry is free", but this disregards the cost, time, and hassle of actually getting there in the first place (and using up a valuable holiday).
 
First visit of the season for me today!
Here's my report/updates for the day:

The park wasn't overly busy, but not quiet either, highest queue peaked at 80 mins for Wicker Man. I think the queue times made the park look busier than it was, with rides closed etc and capacity down. There would of definitely been people going on the rapids today, it was quite warm when the sun was shining. Maybe not battle galleons admittedly. As mentioned earlier, rapids work is continuing and we may be on track for Middle of May opening I'd say.

Got on park at 11 and stayed till close at 5.

Managed the following:
Nemesis (3 times!) - Team was smashing the ops as always, didn't wait longer than 15 mins. Shame there isn't a single rider on this too, loads of empty seats.
Galactica - In a sorry state, thoughts on this are in the galactica thread. Probably won't bother with it for the rest of the season unless it's walk on.
Toxicator - Good intense cycle, shame about the fountains being OOA.
Curse - Most effects were working.
Wicker Man - Class as always, but the whole process from baggage hold to ride annoys me more every time. Still on 2 trains.
13 - Good ops as tends to be the case, 2 trains.
Smiler - Was very impressed with ops on it today, but I found it very rough for some reason? Especially the first 2 inversions? Never found it rough apart from the last 2 inversions obviously but blimey it was a headbanger today.
Oblivion - Mist was on and it was perfect. But 1 station sadly and thus stacking. Don't see the point in running it on 4 shuttles with 1 station imo.

Think I did alright rides wise, especially getting to the park later.

Overall, I had a good day, but you can see the park is looking tired and run-down. Some of it is very frustrating, just a simple clean and jet wash is needed! Overall presentation is dire.

I hope the park up their game in the run up to summer otherwise it's going to be a very tough and long 1.
 
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