General Queue Times Discussion 2023

[Josh]

Aren't most flat rides fairground rides

I think he means no flat rides that are not themed to fairground tat.

Which is of course wrong as Blade is a themed flat ride. And I guess to an extent Flavio's is themed?

 

[Blackhole_Sun]

queue times this week have been absolutely insane. I really hope they have plans to add some higher capacity flat rides at the end of the season. Even bringing Hex and Nemesis back isn’t going to scratch the amount of queues they have currently.

 

[Manchester1894]

I'm going on Saturday for the fireworks. It's going to be a wash out by the look of it.. Ride operations no doubt will be awful and a lot of people going to be very disappointed with the queues. Wondering whether to just visit at 4ish, get a bite to eat, watch the fireworks, ride Wicker and Smiler in the dark and go home.

 

[Poisson]

Eat before you get to the park. Food outlets will be heaving.

 

[AT86]

I'm going on Saturday for the fireworks. It's going to be a wash out by the look of it.. Ride operations no doubt will be awful and a lot of people going to be very disappointed with the queues. Wondering whether to just visit at 4ish, get a bite to eat, watch the fireworks, ride Wicker and Smiler in the dark and go home.

Prepare to be directed to park in a field somewhere near Ashbourne.

 

[Alexsniff7]

i am going to the friday fireworks, i wonder how busy that will be?

 

[Craig]

Eat before you get to the park. Food outlets will be heaving.

Food outlets are generally fine, busy sure, but there's nothing too crazy at Fireworks. As has been pointed out before, the capacity is limited much more meaning the busiest days have been and gone long before Fireworks weekend these days.

i am going to the friday fireworks, i wonder how busy that will be?

Difficult to say as this is the first time in a long while where half term for many has fallen on a Fireworks weekend. It's usually the quietest of the 3 days.

However, if you go by the current day ticket prices on the website being an indicator of each day's popularity I'd probably say Saturday will be busiest, then Friday followed by Sunday being the quietest...aside from the old dark rides as the day progresses of course:


In any case, as already mentioned the capacity caps should mean the park is busy but not horrendous.

 

[Alexsniff7]

Food outlets are generally fine, busy sure, but there's nothing too crazy at Fireworks. As has been pointed out before, the capacity is limited much more meaning the busiest days have been and gone long before Fireworks weekend these days.

Difficult to say as this is the first time in a long while where half term for many has fallen on a Fireworks weekend. It's usually the quietest of the 3 days.

However, if you go by the current day ticket prices on the website being an indicator of each day's popularity I'd probably say Saturday will be busiest, then Friday followed by Sunday being the quietest...aside from the old dark rides as the day progresses of course:


In any case, as already mentioned the capacity caps should mean the park is busy but not horrendous.

see if you go on the fireworks tab the sunday is actually the most expensive, i guess because it falls on the 5th?

i don't mind if it's busy, i am mainly there for the fireworks but my family are going and they will expect it to be quiet despite my warnings

 

[Mattie boy]

i am going to the friday fireworks, i wonder how busy that will be?

Busier than last few years as local schools off which is why sadly we have cancelled what would have been our first ever firworks

 

[Brad210]

I was at the park today, arrived for 1000, was in the park for around 1030.

100 minute queues showing for Rita, Thirteen.

At this point Wicker, Smiler, Galactica, Rapids, and Curse not open, later became aware Oblivion shut all week, obviously Nemesis down for retrack.

Headed towards Curse as visited shortly after its debut earlier in the season for it to go down after opening and not reopen the entire day, was greeted today with “delayed opening”, same for Wickerman.

After walking back with a coffee, stood with a large group forming at the entrance to Wickerman for attendants to yell go to other attractions over and over (these showing 2+ hour queues, for those open) it eventually opened at 1145.

Truth is I’ve been around 6 times in 4 years, this was the last, the park has hugely declined, limited capacity, oversold on busier days, mixed with fast access, purposeful decisions to stagger opening of major attractions, earlier in the season 1000-1600, with attractions not open by 1200, and today extremely overbooked for the limited capacity available and attractions still testing 2 hours after park open.

This mixed with the general lack of upkeep, and where on earth is the custodial staff, every litter bin full today, seating areas for dining littered with rubbish, and partially eaten food, major theming on attractions dilapidated, I made a comment earlier this year on my previous visit about Wickerman to be told “I am sorry you feel the theming looks run down”, hmm, the metal supports on the wicker set pieces completely visible, hardly my feelings here.

I think it’s going to be a few years before going back, it’s not good value for money, the attraction line up is not great, capacity is dreadful, operations are not anything to sing about, and evidently most decisions are prioritising per guest spending over satisfaction.

This all before you get onto Hex, Skyliner and the state of the removed flat ride attractions.

What a fall from grace for this once great park.

 

[Ash]

I was at the park today, arrived for 1000, was in the park for around 1030.

100 minute queues showing for Rita, Thirteen.

At this point Wicker, Smiler, Galactica and Curse not open, understand Oblivion shut all week, obviously Nemesis retrack.

Headed towards Curse as visited shortly after its debut earlier in the season for it to go down after opening and not reopen the entire day, was greeted today with “delayed opening”, same for Wickerman.

After walking back with a coffee, stood with a large group forming at the entrance to Wickerman for attendants to yell go to other attractions over and over (these showing 2+ hour queues, for those open) it eventually opened at 1145.

Truth is I’ve been around 6 times in 4 years, this was the last, the park has hugely declined, limited capacity, oversold on busier days, mixed with fast access, purposeful decisions to stagger opening of major attractions, earlier in the season 1000-1600, with attractions not open by 1200, and today extremely overbooked and attractions still testing 2 hours after park open.

This mixed with the general lack of upkeep, and where on earth is the custodial staff, every litter bin full today, seating areas for dining littered with rubbish, and partially eaten food, major theming on attractions dilapidated, I made a comment earlier this year on my previous visit about Wickerman to be told “I am sorry you feel the theming looks run down”, hmm, the metal supports on the wicker set pieces completely visible, hardly my feelings here.

I think it’s going to be a few years before going back, it’s not good value for money, the attraction line up is not great, capacity is dreadful, operations are not anything to sing about, and clearly most decisions are prioritising per guest spending over satisfaction.

This all before you get onto Hex, Skyliner and the state of the removed flat ride attractions.

What a fall from grace for this once great park.

Trip advisor…that’s what they read

The place is poor value, poor quality and inconsistent. It’s a terrible long term mix.

Even with late openings, there just isn’t the in park capacity to cope. The place needs a multi pronged attack to resolve:

- Install High quality permanent flat rides, see Talocan, Pixarus, Dragonwatch
- Reopening of closed attractions Hex, Skyride, Oblivion, Towers Buildings, 4D cinema
- Better sit down food offerings (burger kitchen, towers at family restaurant)
- Use the temp stage and make permanent somewhere in the park
- General longer opening hours with evening show to stretch crowds
- Increased filler attractions (museum, Lego discovery centre?, gardens)
- Make dungeons free
- Focus on two high capacity rides (Omnimover and POTC sized boat ride)
- Keep the rides open, improves spares capacity etc
- Reform RAP usage
- Operational and personnel improvements to drive throughput (extra staff for batching, bagging systems, bonuses for throughput)

Two hour waits for rides at Towers should not be the norm and is a terrible guest experience for the one thing everyone is there to do! Ride the rides! It’s not as though the Rita cattle pen in the rain is a fun place to be for 2 hours, it’s miserable

 

[Austin Towers]

I was at the park today, arrived for 1000, was in the park for around 1030.

100 minute queues showing for Rita, Thirteen.

At this point Wicker, Smiler, Galactica, Rapids, and Curse not open, later became aware Oblivion shut all week, obviously Nemesis down for retrack.

Headed towards Curse as visited shortly after its debut earlier in the season for it to go down after opening and not reopen the entire day, was greeted today with “delayed opening”, same for Wickerman.

After walking back with a coffee, stood with a large group forming at the entrance to Wickerman for attendants to yell go to other attractions over and over (these showing 2+ hour queues, for those open) it eventually opened at 1145.

Truth is I’ve been around 6 times in 4 years, this was the last, the park has hugely declined, limited capacity, oversold on busier days, mixed with fast access, purposeful decisions to stagger opening of major attractions, earlier in the season 1000-1600, with attractions not open by 1200, and today extremely overbooked for the limited capacity available and attractions still testing 2 hours after park open.

This mixed with the general lack of upkeep, and where on earth is the custodial staff, every litter bin full today, seating areas for dining littered with rubbish, and partially eaten food, major theming on attractions dilapidated, I made a comment earlier this year on my previous visit about Wickerman to be told “I am sorry you feel the theming looks run down”, hmm, the metal supports on the wicker set pieces completely visible, hardly my feelings here.

I think it’s going to be a few years before going back, it’s not good value for money, the attraction line up is not great, capacity is dreadful, operations are not anything to sing about, and evidently most decisions are prioritising per guest spending over satisfaction.

This all before you get onto Hex, Skyliner and the state of the removed flat ride attractions.

What a fall from grace for this once great park.

It's a pity. Alton used to be my favourite park but it's not worth it for us anymore having to travel from Northern Ireland.

This is our second year not visiting and I've got my eyes opened this year going to Energylandia for the first time. It's not only a better park but works out cheaper as we don't have to buy fast passes (which was the only way at Alton for us due to only being to visit once a year). We don't need to hire a car in Poland either and the flights there are just as cheap as flights to Birmingham or Manchester from Belfast. Food and drink also considerably cheaper too.

A retracked B&M isn't enough to entice us back to Towers anytime soon unfortunately.