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Controversial Alton Towers Opinions

I like Blade (specifically that feeling you get in your belly like driving through a big dip in the road)

Galactica is massively under appreciated. A much smoother more relaxed version of it's sister ride Nemesis that you can really take in and just enjoy. The 2 coasters in FB compliment each other really well.

Spinball Whizzer is is either a 1/10 or an 8 or 9 depending on the ride.

CBeebies land could work as a separate attraction with a different ticket for that area only an option the park could consider? Great for those with young kids as it would be a bit cheaper with the option to upgrade to full park access if desired. For those too old to bother with it it's an area that largely untouched. Don't think I've set foot in there personally though may make a point of it this year just to take a look.

Agree with lots of comments re Smiler, Thirteen and Rita - on their day any of these can be your best ride of the day and we'd miss them if they weren't there.
 
Ally said:
Galactica is massively under appreciated. A much smoother more relaxed version of it's sister ride Nemesis that you can really take in and just enjoy. The 2 coasters in FB compliment each other really well.
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Also another controversial one: Galactica was a great reimagining of Air. I know the VR wasn't for everyone, but I think they should have stuck to their guns and at least kept the headsets on a few rows. The only thing I didn't like was that tunnel they added to the queue line that's been keyed and scratched all over.

D4n said:
Spinball Whizzer is probably the best ride in the park for pure fun. It's a great ride to have at the park and I hope it stays for at least the medium term.
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Totally agreed. Spinball is a great ride (albeit when it's actually working) and I would really miss it if it ever left. The games in the queueline really ought to be fixed though.
 
Heidi said:
The games in the queueline really ought to be fixed though.
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I think they’ve been fixed the in queue game over closed season. I’m sure I read that from them in their TLC update.

Edit - the interactive counter at the Spinball entrance has been fixed, not the in queue game. :(
 
I’ll admit that even though I wasn’t a massive lover of the VR, I personally think that Galactica was an improvement over Air, on the whole; I prefer the Galactica soundtrack, the portal was a lovely addition, and generally, I feel as though the ride gained a greater sense of theme when it became Galactica. Not to mention that the refurbishment bought with it the Rollercoaster Restaurant, which I absolutely love!

I’ve got another one, although this one isn’t necessarily exclusive to Alton Towers; I think that Merlin does stronger individual ride theming than Tussauds did.
 
Oh and Galactica fits Forbidden Valley way better than Air did. Yeah it's a bit of a stretch, but space travel and aliens is a better match than aliens and whatever Air was. Nemesis and Air together made less sense than Thirteen and Rita
 
Matt N said:
I’ve got another one, although this one isn’t necessarily exclusive to Alton Towers; I think that Merlin does stronger individual ride theming than Tussauds did.
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:eek: that's a good one.

I understand where you're coming from, Merlin can be good with creating big individual set pieces (Wicker, Krake and whatnot).

Overall though Tussauds were streets ahead with attention to detail across rides/coasters and throughout their parks.
 
Heidi said:
Oh and Galactica fits Forbidden Valley way better than Air did. Yeah it's a bit of a stretch, but space travel and aliens is a better match than aliens and whatever Air was. Nemesis and Air together made less sense than Thirteen and Rita
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I believe the original idea behind the coaster duo was Air was supposed to be the antithesis of Nemesis with it being a calm and relaxing coaster, I could be making this up but I think it was supposed to be like a "hero" coaster, versus Nemesis which was a "villain" coaster.

Edit: Also worth noting that Air's theming was supposed to be much more fleshed out, but it just never happened, the idea having the coaster surrounded by a lush Oasis, which would have been a great contrast to the rusty and harsh environment of FV.
 
Nerdsticks said:
I believe the original idea behind the coaster duo was Air was supposed to be the antithesis of Nemesis with it being a calm and relaxing coaster, I could be making this up but I think it was supposed to be like a "hero" coaster, versus Nemesis which was a "villain" coaster.
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While that does make sense (especially taking into account the Cadbury Heroes sponsorship) I do think that link is a bit more far fetched than Galactica and Nemesis now.
 
RicketyCricket said:
:eek: that's a good one.

I understand where you're coming from, Merlin can be good with creating big individual set pieces (Wicker, Krake and whatnot).

Overall though Tussauds were streets ahead with attention to detail across rides/coasters and throughout their parks.
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Interestingly, I’d actually say that I feel as though Merlin’s attractions generally theme the whole ride a bit more as opposed to one specific area of it.

Admittedly, I never experienced many of Tussauds’ rides when they were shiny and new, so they may have had far more theming and details when brand new, but on the whole, they don’t seem to have as much theming compared to Merlin’s. Take Nemesis, for instance; I know that the technological marvel of the pit itself exists, and I do love that about it as it adds a lot in terms of landscaping and experience, but besides the monster exterior, there doesn’t seem to be an awful lot of actual theming. The same goes for Oblivion; other than the Lord of Darkness videos and build-up, I’d argue that Oblivion is more of a styled ride than a themed ride. In terms of actual theming, there’s not a whole lot there. And then you have Air, which I’d definitely argue was more styled than themed, although in fairness, they didn’t really have the money to pull off a proper theme because the experimental ride system swallowed up more of the budget than predicted. That’s not a bad thing, as these rides are all still very strong experiences in their own right, in my opinion, and a ride doesn’t always need loads and loads of theming, but I don’t think the whole package is quite there to the same extent as it is on Merlin’s attractions, personally.

By comparison, Merlin’s rides seem to have more to them theme-wise. While Thirteen’s outdoor section doesn’t have too much in the way of theming, relying more on the forest itself, I think the station, indoor queue line and crypt are all very well themed and put together, and there are a couple of nice details in the outdoor queue line, such as the van and the people tied to trees, as well as the wraiths. The Smiler has the huge Marmaliser centrepiece, but also has the indoor queue line with all the projections and buildup, as well as the station and indoor inversion, although admittedly I’d say it’s probably the most weakly themed of the 3 Merlin coasters at Towers, on the whole. And where do I even start with Wicker Man; the queue has so many little details strewn around it, you have the pre-show, the lovely atmospheric station, and not to mention the huge effigy itself!

Moving away from Towers, I’d also argue that Merlin’s installations at Thorpe have stronger theming than those made by Tussauds. Even though I’ve generally always loved the whole area and style of Colossus, what with all the lovely landscaping and ruins, and Nemesis Inferno also has the really nice volcano section before the lift hill, Saw has the whole indoor section and indoor queue line, which are really well put together, in my opinion, and The Swarm has more theming than you could shake a stick at, what with all of that wreckage strewn around, and all the little details around the area! As much as many dislike the ride itself, Derren Brown’s Ghost Train also looks very well themed, in my opinion, although in fairness, Tussauds never did a comparable dark ride at Thorpe.

I appreciate that this might seem a controversial opinion, and as I say, I did not experience any of Tussauds’ rides in their “prime” so to speak, but I can only base this off of my own personal experiences.
 
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A lot of Nemesis theming seems to get overlooked. The heavily themed drill, the crashed mushroom tours bus, the blood waterfalls, the random post apocalyptic kitchen underneath the front of the station. Over the years things have been removed but it’s 27 years old. Back when it was new it was themed brilliantly and that’s without taking into account the pit.
 
Matt878787 said:
A lot of Nemesis theming seems to get overlooked. The heavily themed drill, the crashed mushroom tours bus, the blood waterfalls, the random post apocalyptic kitchen underneath the front of the station. Over the years things have been removed but it’s 27 years old. Back when it was new it was themed brilliantly and that’s without taking into account the pit.
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The kitchen? Has that been removed or am I blind and never noticed it
 
Heidi said:
The kitchen? Has that been removed or am I blind and never noticed it
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I’m not sure what that is either, I’ll admit!

I can imagine Nemesis probably did have more theming when it was brand new, given how much change FV has undergone since the ride opened, and I’ll admit that I often forget about things like the big gun; I’d almost class that more as part of Forbidden Valley’s general area theming than Nemesis’ individual ride theming.

And I should clarify that I’m not saying that I don’t think Tussauds’ rides are well-themed; I just think Merlin goes to town a little more on that individual ride theming, in my opinion.
 
I’m not sure how to upload a photo on here, but if you have Facebook, visit the British Themepark Archive page. There’s an album on there from Nemesis’ launch day back in 1994 with a photo of the kitchen.
 
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