• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Duel: The Haunted House Actually Strikes Back - Refurb Incoming

Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Although I think the props look wrong in the room and it needed a proper budget to redo from scratch, I think the overall experience for those who used to have to enter via the exit will have improved.
I'm not a wheelchair user, but I did use that entrance when I had a hotel fasttrack a couple of times and it was not a good experience pushing through the guests exiting the ride, past those trying to look at their ride photos and along a corridor that was never designed for two way traffic and then having to pull open an unthemed door with an ugly sign on it.
Going up a ramp and joining the main queue will be a significantly better experience than using the exit I think.
 
...but it's significantly worse for those normally using main queue.

A compromise would have been to put FT/ambulant RAP merge at the entrance to the building but keep the wheelchair access as before, rather than butcher the pre-show to add a 2nd wheelchair accessible route to a ride that already had one. That would maximise the number of people getting the full experience, rather than lessening it for everyone.
 
Was it the uneven floor that made it inaccessible? Why couldn't they have levelled the existing pathway?

I just expect this rubbish now and I've long since stopped hoping for them to see the light change their ways. Alton Towers is no longer the reason I read this forum and I rarely open the General Discussion thread.

If they eventually buck up their ideas then fair play, but in the mean time I'll read or see these sad updates, sigh and shrug, then open up the latest discussions on other parks.
 
Things falling into disrepair or losing some of their sparkle over time is one thing, but conscious decisions to make changes and money being spent on achieving those changes when they actually make something worse angers and upsets me.

There would be lots of ways to achieve access, they've just chosen a hugely destructive one and used their clearly very limited budget and resources to do it. Slow hand claps all round.
 
Someone mentioned above that last year they had no disabled access because of Covid and the shop access? If that was the case I wouldn't be surprised if this change is a knee-jerk reaction to the fact they could've been discriminating against wheelchair users by not allowing them through the shop which could've lead to an appearance in court at some point. Lets hope that this is a sticking plaster and when they get more time and money, they can improve on this change.
 
Steve74 said:
they could've been discriminating against wheelchair users by not allowing them through the shop which could've lead to an appearance in court at some point.
Click to expand...

Reasonable adjustments are what is required. This destruction isn't reasonable, and there would ne many other options to facilitate access.

Steve74 said:
and when they get more time and money, they can improve on this change.
Click to expand...

Lol.
 
pluk said:
Reasonable adjustments are what is required. This destruction isn't reasonable, and there would ne many other options to facilitate access.
Click to expand...
And as I said just now, that may be in the future, we just don't know. For all we know, the go-ahead may only have been given on this change a couple of months ago so that's all they could've done in the time they had. Again, for all we know, a refurb of Duel could be on the cards in the next year or so and therefore this is purely temporary. Who knows?

Lol.
Click to expand...
Well we can only hope. They've improved Wicker Man this year by adding more lights and smoke in the brake tunnel.
 
So they could have perhaps done other rooms but let’s face it, this was done to facilitate wheelchair access and allow disabled guests to have the same experience going in to the building as everyone else. So we shouldn’t complain at that.

What we should however be complaining about is the lack of investment in the actual ride itself over the years with continued broken effects and poor lighting. It’s more and more like a travelling fun fair ghost train of late than a multi million pound themed haunted house in a major theme park.
 
Last edited:
and I would say that the enter via the exit and an unthemed door was a "sticking plaster" thats been there for probably 20 years.
 
There was quite a well publicised incident with a disabled visitor towards the end of last year, with Towers promising to act on this and invited the guest back to discuss what can be done to improve access for wheelchair users and the general attitude towards disabled guests.

Duel disabled access was one of the rides specifically mentioned in this incident. The manner in which they have implemented this is extremely unfortunate, however we know how knee jerk Towers have been in recent years and there is no doubt in my mind this is as a result of what happened last season.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro
 
imanautie said:
Is there anything you actually consider reasonable adjustments? Adjusting a queue line so there's wheelchair access is reasonable.
Click to expand...

There are many points of access to the building, there are many ways to facilitate access without destroying what was there. Now no one can properly enjoy the attraction as it was intended as the effect of illusion has been broken and the room makes no sense. Wheelchair users get to use a room that looks crap, no one gets to use a room which looks good. Who wins?

Considering they are content to remove retail space at every opportunity from everywhere else in the resort why not lop a bit off of the shop and build a proper themed entrance for those requiring access, even theme it properly so have some effects that will only be available to those users. Actual improvements rather than destruction for the majority.

Steve74 said:
Well we can only hope. They've improved Wicker Man this year by adding more lights and smoke in the brake tunnel.
Click to expand...

Probably not comparable to the one new ride they are still funding presentation for and more comparable to the rest of the park which is left to fall apart. If they don't consider this 'done' and now a non problem to leave as it is I'll eat all the hats in Towers Trading. The money is spent, the damage done.
 
It wouldn't be so bad if they leveled off the existing pathway through that room. It's the way they've changed the path to go around the sides of the room, and shoehorned all theming next to the fireplace. It looks very out of place and ruins what once was a great part of the attraction.

It looks very disjointed and goes to show how desperate Duel is in need of a complete revamp.

I'm all for accessibility however it's the way this has been done, rather than the good intentions behind it. This needed to be done with a proper budget.
 
With al the negativity on here regarding the changes to Duel Queue line. I've not viewed it in person. But Shaw has done a video blog and he seemed to be positive about the changes.. Can be viewed 16 minutes into the video, what you you think?

 
As much as improving accessibility is vital, these changes just seem to be another tight budget, low effort attempt to try and mask all the problems with Duel. It's been said many times but Duel is in need of a total overhaul and revamp, or to be scrapped. In it's current state it's looking like a Frankenstein mess of quick fixes (if any fixes at all) and this awkward attempt at accessibility is just the cherry on top, and could have been executed so much better
 
It's just sad at this point, more than anything else. Just another nail in the coffin.

cdf8a212c20f235f3b4a283664ce0595.jpg
 
George Williams said:
Tried Duel with me and 2 of my friends today we thought it was really impressive and loved the whole experience, maybe we haven't tried enough of other class ghost train kind of rides but I can't see why people think it's so flawed.
Click to expand...
I'm going on Sunday with somone who's never been to Towers before, will be interesting to see what they think of Duel. :)
 
Status
This topic has been locked. No further replies can be posted.
Top