Existential Crisis? Towers and it's future

[QTXAdsy]

Also I have to add other than the footballification that @GooseOnTheLoose pointed out regarding how everyone wants Merlin to crash and burn, a similar thing is aimed at Mandy Thompson in which for over 20 years now, I've never met a single enthusiast who has said a positive thing about her since she took over treating her like the anti-christ of Blackpool (which admittingly sounds like a 70s exploitation film).

Likely as other than what happened with Southport and Wild Mouse, many will never forgive her and that many will say her old man was the best, even if admittedly much of his choices like Valhalla would put PB in a dire state financially when Mandy took over.

I think with Merlin, the lack of TLC with the parks did create the foundation for the resentment that has culminated in today in which the company's desire to expand way to fast has led to their current state and it has all built up to the point that many for years have been crying out for competition and that at last we finally seem to be getting it, it does feel like some sort of comeuppance for Merlin. Though perhaps had all the other UK parks bar Paultons really put themselves in a better position, we could have had some competition even before then arguably.

 

[Secret Weapon]

Every geek has their own wish list but the issues with this one:

1) Towers family restaurant doesn’t get enough footfall over lunch due to its location. It’s why it repeatedly fails when they try and open it. Last time was when CBeebies opened and they thought it might pull guests to the top of TS, it didn’t.

2) Oblivion shop wasn’t profitable, they could do better things with that space.

3) Why spend money moving RCR to another location when it does well where it is to reopen a shop that wasn’t that profitable?

4) Why spend money covering the golf? It would be a massive capex for minimum gain and probably wouldn’t get planning permission.

5) Again with Thirteen retail. Wasn’t profitable. Merlin are money driven, they wouldn’t have closed these outlets if they didn’t bring an income. The shops that did are still running (Smiler, Curse, Nemesis, Wickerman etc).

I find it curious Shaun suddenly started to see the flaws at Towers around the same time Towers ended the content creator programme…..

Better late than never I suppose

Here are some improvements that I would immediately make to AT (note: I am only listing options that are relatively cheap / easy to introduce - not building new rides, etc):-

1) Give a single-rider queue to Nemesis - not just to fill up spare seats, but also to save the painfully long walk around the main queue (which, as with Oblivion, often puts me off re-riding)

2) Run extra buses during Scarefest, so that people can stay until the end instead of having to leave at 5:30 p.m.

3) Keep the park open until 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. - partly to avoid the long 90-minute wait for the bus to leave at 5:30 p.m. !

 

[Dave]

Here are some improvements that I would immediately make to AT (note: I am only listing options that are relatively cheap / easy to introduce - not building new rides, etc):-

1) Give a single-rider queue to Nemesis - not just to fill up spare seats, but also to save the painfully long walk around the main queue (which, as with Oblivion, often puts me off re-riding)

2) Run extra buses during Scarefest, so that people can stay until the end instead of having to leave at 5:30 p.m.

3) Keep the park open until 5 p.m. instead of 4 p.m. - partly to avoid the long 90-minute wait for the bus to leave at 5:30 p.m. !

Pretty sure they got rid of nemesis single rider because it was on the exit side and was overall slowing down ops.

The bus stuff isn’t under Towers control anymore as they got rid of their own buses. I would bring those back.

 

[rob666]

Keeping the park open until five would mean a lot less congestion getting back to the motorways, later opening would also mean less rush hour traffic on the way in for many as well...so lets make it 11 until 6 for everyone's benefit.

Yet none of the above creates or solves an existential crisis that doesn't actually exist.

 

[KoasterKraver]

Keeping the park open until five would mean a lot less congestion getting back to the motorways, later opening would also mean less rush hour traffic on the way in for many as well...so lets make it 11 until 6 for everyone's benefit.

Yet none of the above creates or solves an existential crisis that doesn't actually exist.

Why not make it 10 til 6?

 

[Secret Weapon]

Pretty sure they got rid of nemesis single rider because it was on the exit side and was overall slowing down ops.

That's true, although the Spinball Whizzer SRQ is on the exit side?

If anything, the Spinball Whizzer SRQ seems like more of a hassle than the Nemesis one because it's harder to walk across the cars and occupy seats on the far side?

 

[Benzin]

That's true, although the Spinball Whizzer SRQ is on the exit side?

If anything, the Spinball Whizzer SRQ seems like more of a hassle than the Nemesis one because it's harder to walk across the cars and occupy seats on the far side?

Onloaders tell people to sit on the side closest to them in those situations.

 

[Secret Weapon]

Onloaders tell people to sit on the side closest to them in those situations.

That's true, although there were one or two occasions during my visits last year when this didn't happen: the staff were so busy handling bags etc that the riders had already sat on the wrong side by the time that the staff were going to instruct them not to.

As you say, it doesn't happen that often, though.

I don't actually remember ever using the Nemesis single-rider queue (I never used the Rita one, either), but I assume it might be more time-consuming to operate than the Spinball Whizzer one, simply because the Nemesis station is so large and thus the SRQ is quite far from the main queue?

I'm not sure why Wicker Man was never built with an SRQ, but I am guessing that it may be something to do with the pre-show screwing the queue up?

 

[DiogoJ42]

Why not make it 10 til 6?

It should be 9 til 9.