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Five/Ten/Fifteen year plan if you owned Alton?

Been thinking about what a realistic 5 year plan could look like with both a guest satisfaction and sensible business head on.

2023: Duel is rethemed to The Alton Manor - a mind bending haunted Manor House where nothing is as it seems! 2 permanent thrill flats open in FV and X Sector.

2024: Nemesis and Sub Terra reopen following the re-track and both attractions are returned to their former glory.

2025: SW9 and TWoDW theatre reopens to market something to the younger/family market too. SW9 is a 1.4m thrill ride.

2026: Dungeons go and the ride becomes a family dark ride - what that would be I don’t know. A small family flat also opens in the same area, creating a mini themed area with BK themed to match

2027: A family thrill flat opens in Dark Forest - something similar to a Supernova and themed as a possessed tree. The second mothballed building in TWoDW is opened up and contains a small but punchy indoor coaster off the shelf, but heavily themed.

Alongside the above, the mothballed F&B units also begin to reopen and ageing attractions are given some love.
 
Benjsh said:
I stopped reading at realistic.....hahaha.

You're quite right it should be realistic for the Country's Premier theme park to implement these but there's more chance of pigs flying than it happening.
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Agree with what you’ve said

Yet what @s_g_k has proposed isn’t unreasonable or unrealistic.

You’ll be finding little to no investment in my eyes during this period of cost inflation
 
Sod it may as well jump in, I’m writing this on an area by area basis first with it to be split into time when I can be arsed:

Park wide: Food and beverage quality to be overhauled across to the board. Park wide lighting to be fitted. A new land train used to supplement the monorail and for the winter

Entrance: New monorail trains to be added, along with suitable airgates fitted

Towers Street: Permanent projection mapping capabilities and lighting to be added

Lawns & Lake: The stage to be made permanent along with a new “temporary for planning reasons” fountain show fitted to the lake, along with associated water screen and projection mapped towers

The towers: Museum added to the inside of the towers, to be kept open all year round. Crux to be turned into a multimedia cinema experience about the history of the towers ruins and park.

The area of the towers uncovered beyond the octagon to be covered and used as a pre-show for a new flying theatre “Sir Algenons Flying Machines” located nearby the hex building

David Walliams Land: To be rethemed to a mini Lego Land, Dragon Coaster and the new Lego Factory to be installed in coaster corner opening up to the flag tower

Dark Forest: New flat ride added x 2

Gardens: conservatory turned into an all year round tea room/wedding venue? with all year round multi media showing history of the gardens. A general tidy up of all areas of the gardens and decorative lighting added along with a small nighttime show.

Swiss Cottage refurbished and turned into the most upmarket food establishment on site due to size

Forbidden Valley: Nemesis retract as planned along with using the red river pumps, new lighting and audio system.

Blade replaced with Gyro swing of some sort and new flat added to old ripsaw site.

Gloomy Wood: Duel full retheme/expansion with makeover to Ghostbusters theme and new trackless dark ride system fitted

Katanga Canyon: Rapids removed and replaced with major new ride, a Mack rides water coaster (in the style of Journey to Atlantis) themed around Jumanji, a major new indoor section is added on the coach park behind KC/Duel which is shared with a new family coaster/small flat ride/restaurant

Mutiny Bay: Blade added

X sector: 2 x flat ride added (assuming enterprise removed)

Air car park: Second gate added called “BBC Studios” with 6 major studio stages added containing:

Top Gear (indoor coaster)
Doctor Who (trackless ride)
Planet Earth (5D theatre)
Only fools and horses/Strictly (stage show)
Blue Peter (Kids play area)
Mr Bean (dark ride)

Along with associated studio shop and studio canteen

Resort: Mini golf is covered by a large tent, pathways improved in between all areas along with ATH receiving a major overhaul. Cariba Creek

Overflow fields turned into car parks proper and the main car park changed to a 3 storey car park for a large section to accommodate areas lost

The railway reopening between Leek to Alton re-examined as genuine park and ride system


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Ash said:
Sod it may as well jump in, I’m writing this on an area by area basis first with it to be split into time when I can be arsed:

Park wide: Food and beverage quality to be overhauled across to the board. Park wide lighting to be fitted. A new land train used to supplement the monorail and for the winter

Entrance: New monorail trains to be added, along with suitable airgates fitted

Towers Street: Permanent projection mapping capabilities and lighting to be added

Lawns & Lake: The stage to be made permanent along with a new “temporary for planning reasons” fountain show fitted to the lake, along with associated water screen and projection mapped towers

The towers: Museum added to the inside of the towers, to be kept open all year round. Crux to be turned into a multimedia cinema experience about the history of the towers ruins and park.

The area of the towers uncovered beyond the octagon to be covered and used as a pre-show for a new flying theatre “Sir Algenons Flying Machines” located nearby the hex building

David Walliams Land: To be rethemed to a mini Lego Land, Dragon Coaster and the new Lego Factory to be installed in coaster corner opening up to the flag tower

Dark Forest: New flat ride added x 2

Gardens: conservatory turned into an all year round tea room/wedding venue? with all year round multi media showing history of the gardens. A general tidy up of all areas of the gardens and decorative lighting added along with a small nighttime show.

Swiss Cottage refurbished and turned into the most upmarket food establishment on site due to size

Forbidden Valley: Nemesis retract as planned along with using the red river pumps, new lighting and audio system.

Blade replaced with Gyro swing of some sort and new flat added to old ripsaw site.

Gloomy Wood: Duel full retheme/expansion with makeover to Ghostbusters theme and new trackless dark ride system fitted

Katanga Canyon: Rapids removed and replaced with major new ride, a Mack rides water coaster (in the style of Journey to Atlantis) themed around Jumanji, a major new indoor section is added on the coach park behind KC/Duel which is shared with a new family coaster/small flat ride/restaurant

Mutiny Bay: Blade added

X sector: 2 x flat ride added (assuming enterprise removed)

Air car park: Second gate added called “BBC Studios” with 6 major studio stages added containing:

Top Gear (indoor coaster)
Doctor Who (trackless ride)
Planet Earth (5D theatre)
Only fools and horses/Strictly (stage show)
Blue Peter (Kids play area)
Mr Bean (dark ride)

Along with associated studio shop and studio canteen

Resort: Mini golf is covered by a large tent, pathways improved in between all areas along with ATH receiving a major overhaul. Cariba Creek

Overflow fields turned into car parks proper and the main car park changed to a 3 storey car park for a large section to accommodate areas lost

The railway reopening between Leek to Alton re-examined as genuine park and ride system


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Even though it’s not going to happen and would be eye wateringly expensive, what a great idea BBC Studios is.
 
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Year 1:
Duel opens with a Ghostbusters IP, reused assets and loads of TV screens. 4pm closes on most days because these past 2 seasons they've been far too generous. Get rid of entertainment in Walliams World because the area is good enough as it is.

Year 2: Nemesis reopens with no other work happening to the pit, why waste any more money? Now that Nemesis is reopen we should think ourselves grateful so time to get rid of the fair ground rides without replacements.

Year 3: Rapids are binned off to start work on SW9, yet another coaster. Monorail closes and is left standing and most guests are just hearded through the Galactica gate instead because it's cheaper.

Year 4: SW9, a horror themed 1.4 height restriction coaster opens in place of the rapids. KC and RMT are rethemed with it carrying the IP of I Spit On Your Grave. As it's been a few years since they built one, work starts on yet another hotel.

Year 5: The Alton Towers History Hotel opens. It's targeted heavily at families and is themed (with wall vinyls) to all the family rides of the past before they were replaced with horror coasters that the target market can no longer ride. There's no restaurant or bar as it is too costly so it uses RCR instead. Prices start at £900 per night.
 
Rides and Attractions wise -
My major aim here is to add large amount of dark rides and entertainment to create a truly overall experience, just like how world-class parks should be.

2023 - (Low - Mid CAPEX)
Towers Street Improvements:
1. A museum about the history of Alton Towers, located in the former office buildings between Guests Services & Box Office.
2. A restaurant to be added in one of the buildings next to Towers Trading.

The World of David Walliams - Utilising the 4D Cinema for one of David Walliam's books.

Forbidden Valley - A permanent thrilling flat to replace Funk'N'Fly to make up for lost capacity from Nemesis retrack.

More new CBeebies Land attractions.

Entertainment: The stunt show during the late 1900s to return during peak dates. More roaming actors in general around the park.

2024 - (Mid CAPEX)
Gloomy Wood - The closed Duel will be transformed into a trackless dark ride after being closed in 2023. The ride still has the similar Haunted House-esque theme, but having a complete makeover and trackless system would certainly integrate the ride.

Mutiny Bay - A new water coaster replacing the Courtyard and Battle Galleons (lake utilised for splashdown). Satisfies the demand of a high-throughput and more exhilirating water ride than CRR since the removal of the Flume.

Entertainment - A seasonal nighttime spectacular (Summer hols - November, earlier dusk time) with the addition of fountains and effects from the stunt show. If the money is there, would utilise drone technology similar to those seen in Disney D-light to make up for the fireworks prohibition. The Towers would also be utilised for Projection Mapping.

2025 - (High CAPEX)
Coaster Corner - A traditional SW (maybe a Mack Triple Launched Spinner, Intamin Blitz, etc.) Draws the crowds in to increase exposure of other new attractions in park.

The Towers - Dungeons replaced by a dark boat ride: "Medival Madhatters". Fits the theme of The Towers and provides a family-family dark ride.

Mutiny Bay - Extending the SEA LIFE building and replacing the aquarium with a dark ride with more innovative technology, like a Mack Submarine or Flying Theatre. Aquarium could be relocated to the resort area as it would be mentioned below.

2026 - (Mid CAPEX)
X-Sector revamp:
1. Spinjam and Enterprise getting replaced by an indoor roller coaster similar to the Black Hole or X. Could even be themed into trying to get back to the real world after falling into the Oblivion.
2. A flat ride replacing the arcade next to Golf Challenge.

More new CBeebies Land attractions.

2027 - (Mid CAPEX)
Gloomy Wood - A Mack Rides Inverted Powered Coaster in the former planned Wooden Coaster. Broadens appeal to families even more. The ride could be themed to wandering around the woods to reduce deforestation needed.

Entertainment - A show venue in Forbidden Valley. Could also be used in the evenings after park close for shows for hotel guests which could further integrate Forbidden Valley into an Entertainment District along with Rollercoaster Restuarant.

Long Term:
- Cross-Valley Coaster to be built with a B&M Hyper model to reduce noice pollution.
- Possibly dividing CBeebies into a second gate after utilising the Spinball Whizzer and Express parking area (if possible). Provides more gate income and encourages more short break stays.
- Replacing Rita with another SW.
- Complely redoing Katanga Canyon - removing CRR and relocating RMT into elsewhere in the park. The area would be transformed into a different theme.
- If previous investments were successful: expand the park into the Galactica car park.

Food & Beverage wise -
Reverse contract with Aramark. Widely increase food options by opening more food stalls around the park. Provide more dining options with the guests' budget. Introduction of more glamorous restaurants maybe around the Towers for guests that are more willing to spend more money. Ideally reopen the Swiss Cottage. Redesign the Rollercoaster Restaurant. Maybe a food court as well in a busier area of the park. However, prices needs to be decreased not only to increase guest satisfaction, but also to appeal to those that bought pack lunch - they might want to buy some snacks or a sandwich if they found out that pack lunch is not enough. They would resist buying more food previously due to high prices but with a lower price, they might as well buy some.

Opening Times wise -
4pm closes would be no more. Weekdays now close at 5pm at the earliest and Weekends at 6pm at the earliest. Could do some Wedneday closures outside of peak summer months (i.e. June - August) and some minor cheeky little staggered openings in Dark Forest and TWODW in weekdays. Having low queue times during the first hour of the day, opening these areas one hour late would save operating costs meanwhile having minimal impact on guest experience. Opening times during school trip season should also be vastly increased due to the high crowd levels, which leads to guest dissatisfaction. Hence, 7pm closes could be seen on busier dates like Mondays/Fridays. I'll also try to open in weekends (or Saturdays at least) during winter months, this will become more feasible as more dark rides and entertainment are added.

Transportation and accessiblity wise -
The only method right now to access Alton Towers is by car or public buses that runs in an extremely inadequate frequency. To become a world-class theme park, worldwide tourists need to be able to access Alton Towers. Hence shuttle bus services would be added from major train stations like Derby. Ideally running in a fixed schedule like every 15 - 20 minutes. Those shuttles could also stop in front of park entrance for day guests to access the car parl and hotels if the monorail has a long queue. Minor improvements would happen on the Monorail as well, like removing the vinyls.

Resort Area wise -
Whilst building an RDE area like CityWalk would be too much money, I will try to build some 'midway attractions' somewhere close to the hotels (maybe in Splash Landings Hotel). As to what can be built there, it could be an aquarium, reopening the ropes course, an evening circus, utilising Merlin's current brands they own, like Legoland Discovery Centres (could even theme it to CBeebies to attract CBeebies fans to visit that attraction alongside the theme park). What's good about these midways are they cost less to build, and to operate in longer hours than a theme park, meanwhile providing hotel guests something to do after park close, and from that further increase their spending during their stay. This and the future Forbidden Valley enriches entertainment and attraction offering for hotel guests.

After years of transformation I would expect the resort to reach annual attendance around of 3.5 million. This could be the alternative to the London Resort if that doesn't get built.
 
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Jb85 said:
Some good ideas but you'll never see a coaster again in coaster corner, nor will you see a water coaster on the lake
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Well here we go mister!
Nice low family coaster in the dark in a very soundproof box in coaster corner.
Temporary flume on, and around the lake, all on geotex matting and sleepers, with temporary planning permission for five years, by which time they have threaded a permanent new flume through the loops of the smiler, with the station on the dead enterprise site.
Sorted.
All possible, but yes, rather unlikely.
 
rob666 said:
Well here we go mister!
Nice low family coaster in the dark in a very soundproof box in coaster corner.
Temporary flume on, and around the lake, all on geotex matting and sleepers, with temporary planning permission for five years, by which time they have threaded a permanent new flume through the loops of the smiler, with the station on the dead enterprise site.
Sorted.
All possible, but yes, rather unlikely.
Click to expand...

I guess an indoor coaster us feasible.

I'd love to see a flume through the smiler though. Ace.
 
Matt.GC said:
Year 1:
Duel opens with a Ghostbusters IP, reused assets and loads of TV screens. 4pm closes on most days because these past 2 seasons they've been far too generous. Get rid of entertainment in Walliams World because the area is good enough as it is.

Year 2: Nemesis reopens with no other work happening to the pit, why waste any more money? Now that Nemesis is reopen we should think ourselves grateful so time to get rid of the fair ground rides without replacements.

Year 3: Rapids are binned off to start work on SW9, yet another coaster. Monorail closes and is left standing and most guests are just hearded through the Galactica gate instead because it's cheaper.

Year 4: SW9, a horror themed 1.4 height restriction coaster opens in place of the rapids. KC and RMT are rethemed with it carrying the IP of I Spit On Your Grave. As it's been a few years since they built one, work starts on yet another hotel.

Year 5: The Alton Towers History Hotel opens. It's targeted heavily at families and is themed (with wall vinyls) to all the family rides of the past before they were replaced with horror coasters that the target market can no longer ride. There's no restaurant or bar as it is too costly so it uses RCR instead. Prices start at £900 per night.
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I like @s_g_k idea from the June post but I think this is far more likely :tearsofjoy:
 
I don't see the need for a water ride as large and cumbersome as a water coaster in the UK taking the space of a major investment, I'd rather see something like a modern log flume with interaction with something else like a major flat ride or a family coaster to further round-out the park's ride line up.

Intamin opened a new log flume in Austria not too long ago, it has coaster elements like airtime hills and steep drops, as well as turntables and options for other special features, which would give any new water ride a strong USP and be a crowd pleaser with the park-going public, so would be a much better improvement over The Flume, which spent most of it's ride time meandering aimlessly through the woods.
 
Right I thought I’d give this a go. It’s obviously completely unrealistic as Merlin would never invest this heavy year after year but it’s what I feel AT needs it’s to compete for the #1 park in europe which it’s what Merlins aim should be with a site that big.

‘23 - Duel ride system removed & replaced with brand new modern system for a Ghost busters interactive shooting ride using a nice mix of animatronics & screens. Outside of the building re-modelled to look like a classic haunted American mansion of the 1800s. Get this right & run a good marketing campaign & I think it could really pull the crowds. The Ghostbusters brand is hugely popular with all ages & seemingly eternal. This would help hugely with Nemesis being closed for the season. Also for ‘23 I’d like to see Spinball properly incorporated into CBeebies land & given a re theme to fit a relevant CBBC character & the remaining parts of CCL to be incorporated into TWODW.

‘24 - Relaunch of Nemesis & Sub-terra & 2 brand new well themed flats to replace The Blade & Funk n Fly to complete Forbidden Valley.

‘25 - Expansion of KC into the empty space behind it. New multi launch family thrill coaster, a revamped family rapids ride, revamped RMT or replaced with something similar if needs be & 2 new flats. Also a new Jumanji dark ride to be built behind what would then be Ghostbusters (it looks like there is space to extend that building considerably eastwards). Finally I would like to a new aquarium within KC to make space in Mutiny Bay.

‘26 - Mutiny bay re-themed to fit with Wickerman creating a brand new land. A compact family Gert Bobsled coaster built on the site of the current aquarium but expanding out over parts of the new land if needed to be.

‘27 - Brand new land built on the site where the monorail park is (between FV & Duel) containing an Intamin Blitz & a new generation Intamin flume interacting with each other & both featuring dark sections. Plus 2 new flat rides. Obviously this realises on the park finding an alternative site for the monorail park. Rita is closed & removed.

‘28 - 2 new flat rises in X-Sector, one of them a dark ride. Oblivion given a revamp for it’s 30th.

29 - New space themed land built on the Galactica carpark incorporating Galactica, 2 new flats, one of them a dark ride plus a dark family thrill coaster.

30 - Cross valley terrain hugging hyper coaster!! Station in Dark Forest on Rita’s current site & using launches if necessary as it will ideally cross the valley a few times. We can dream! 2 new flats in Dark Forest & 13 given some TLC as it’ll be 20 years old by then.

‘31 - TWODW replaced by a large new gothic horror themed land that also uses some of the old coaster corner. I feel this part of the park lends itself to this theme being so close to the Towers. It would contain a dark thrill coaster, dark thrill water ride plus many other rides, due to the size of the land it would have much potential but it’s obviously constrained by noise limitations.

I purposely haven’t mentioned any SW projects as I feel there’s too much to do just to focus on coaster projects. AT needs to take a leaf out CWOA book & invest in whole areas at once rather than just one ride here & there. Also alongside this there would need to be investments into the accommodation & evening entertainment to create a true resort. It’s a level of investment that would make central government think twice but the park is falling behind & spending money is the only way to fix it.
 
Danscott22 said:
I don’t think we need another dark themed land/attractions again, and I wouldn’t be a fan of ghostbusters either
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I do hear you on the not another dark themed ride/area argument. I just really think if anywhere should have that theme it should be the area next to the Towers. I’d quite happily see Dark Forest get a re theme to something else to compensate.
 
With the energy setups all turning to green energy id love to add a few green energy systems like a wind turbine or solar panels added to the roofs of most of the buildings to improve the carbon footprint and probably a better recycling set up for the waste but thats just my view
 
Looking at Merlin entertainments historic profits I can see why things are as they are. Even if they went on a 100% reinvestment spree, per park it wouldn't make that much of a dent.
 
Towers street overhaul - shops and cafes built to last many years not the kind of facades they use at the moment. Main shop to be much better themed.

Ditch the VR centre and the golf area for a high quality show building that involves queue line theming, pre show and main 4d show to the quality of Fabula at efteling or the bugs life show at animal kingdom.

Full use of the david walliams area with the other building incorporating rides based on story books (not walliams books), more eateries here and seating.

Dungeon to be transformed into a signature family friendly dark ride.

Duel to have much more theatrical shop and a bakery and seating outside

New flat rides - gloomy wood to have a covered drop tower with the same theme as Thirteeen, world class Simulator ride in X sector, family Zamperla Nebulaz in David walliams area,

Congo river rapids to have visual upgrades
Mine train to have visual upgrades and improved scenery.

Addition of a water coaster that has a big splash but doesn't get guests that wet.

New dueling coaster to be added where spin ball whizzer is.

Galactica to be renamed and rethemed to be a wing beast, themed similar to nemesis.
 
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