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How do you think Alton Towers could be improved?

AirFAN said:
Going back to the red dye debate.

A silly question really, but how do you remove the dye from the water?
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I think it eventually just gets replaced by rainwater.
 
Yep, you don't remove the dye as such. It just naturally runs out if it is not replaced and new water enters the system.
 
chris556 said:
There just is no excuse and worse now all theme parks in the country are owned by merlin no competition this is the result. the best thing to happen would be for universal to,build the park they want to in Kent and virtually bankrupt merlin by taking all the custom we need good competition again in the uk
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No they're not! The only Theme Parks owned by Merlin are Alton Towers, Thorpe Park, Legoland and Chessington...

Then you have many, many others.... Drayton Manor, Flamingoland, Oakwood, Blackpool Pleasure Beach (ok not technically a Theme Park...) Gulliver's World/Kingdom/Whatever... There are SO MANY non Merlin owned Parks....

It's Paramount that are building a Theme Park down south... haven't heard anything about that for a while though, but I haven't been looking.

I don't know why people have so much hate for Merlin, before Merlin took over, Alton Towers was scabby and dying a slow death. Now it's getting better and better, and is being run more like the American Parks, which IMHO is the right way to do things.

Anyway, to REALLY improve AT I'd like to see more excellent dark rides (Charlie is not excellent) with more IPs being introduced into the park. More 3D films/shows (ala Terminator 2 3D) would be brilliant too. MORE immersion is needed! They're getting there, but still a way off the total immersion Disney and Uni provide :)
 
I think Chris' point is more aimed towards there being no real competition in the UK. Merlin does have a monopoly as they are the only big company that own several parks in the UK. All the smaller UK parks are either family owned or owned by small companies. They have no chance in out-doing Towers, Thorpe or Chessington. Since there is nothing to try and beat these parks Merlin do very little to give their parks the big wow factor, as lets face it, what's the point? They own the big parks, they make the profits, no one else is going to steal the limelight - no point in doing anything extravagant.

90s Tussauds had the big vision. They didn't want to create places that just provide the profits and nothing more, customers were a part of their key focus. They didn't want to to be the UKs biggest, they wanted to get on the worldwide map. Nemesis, Oblivion, Toyland Tours and Haunted House are key examples of this vision. Alton Towers was the UKs Disneyland. They aimed to reach that quality. Maybe they didn't quite reach that in some ways. However when you look at these listed attractions you get a fair idea of the goals they were aiming for.

No doubt someone will come along with the rose tinted glass argument, although apart from The Smiler I cannot see any other ride or attraction built since 2008 that reaches any ambitions Tussauds did.

Obviously Alton Towers has improved since the Merlin takeover. But everything created since 2008 (apart from The Smiler) seems very subpar in line with what the worldwide industry offers, and that's ignoring Disney parks.
 
I don't know if it a hate of merlin, more a frustration of what the company could do and what the company actually does. As James says, Tussauds in the 90's had a big vision, some time it was beyond what they could product with the funding they had.

Merlin could of done so much more with rides since taking on Alton Towers. Although over the last year or so I have seen a change in what happening with the park. OK, the smiler has had problems however, It feels like a return to attempting to build coaster to the calibre of the landmark rides of the past.

Then there was the decision to bring back the Creative management post. The post holder, has a strong idea about narrative back grounds and the need for fun interaction.
Due to this guidance, you can see pockets of magic appearing on the park.

I do wonder if merlin is finding the direction to go with the park. Only time will tell.
 
In terms of non Merlin parks in the UK, there is no real competition because merlin have monopolised by owning the big ones.

The non Merlin ones in the UK simply don't have the budget to keep up and Merlin certainly aren't keen on competition. It's a shame because I'd like to see more diversity. Blackpool Pleasure Beach is an interesting one. This was once a major competitor for Alton Towers but a series of poor decisions and the decline of the UK seaside holiday trade has resulted in BPB now being one of the financially poorest parks in the country, despite being an excellent park with some really superb rides. Whilst I say I want diversity, I'd rather have Merlin take over the likes of BPB than have them close down altogether.

Until we get a major competitor in the UK, Merlin will have a stronghold on the market and they will be lazy until then. We get a decent competitor we'll see Alton Towers improve no end.
 
I Also don't think merlin are solely to blame the council as well is not helping matters merlin wanted to invest and build hobbit themed accommodation its blocked noise complaints mean theaming removed from oblivion and the height issue can not be ignored it must make it hard to invest if you face having to fight a legal battle with all and sundrey before you can even begin to spend money on building things.
 
chris556 said:
I Also don't think merlin are solely to blame the council as well is not helping matters merlin wanted to invest and build hobbit themed accommodation its blocked noise complaints mean theaming removed from oblivion and the height issue can not be ignored it must make it hard to invest if you face having to fight a legal battle with all and sundrey before you can even begin to spend money on building things.
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The council have actually been very lenient to Alton over the years and very rarely refuse their requests too.

The original 'hobbit style' accommodation plan was bstopped mainly due to it's proximity to JCBs test site and because of questions raised by locals. It as actually withdrawn by Alton rather than the council. Arguably the new plan actually looks nicer anyway!

The only theming removed from Blivvy is the sound effect - which isn't particularly a massive loss and the height issue has forced Alton to build some truly unique and world class rides into the spaces they are permitted.

Of course it makes it very difficult but it's a nature of the beast that Towers is - namely in and around listed ruins and gardens and within an area of beauty.

I think most would argue that the planning restrictions have usually aided Alton's rides anyway!
 
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