• 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.

Lack of enthusiasm/optimism for Alton Towers in recent years?

Matt N

Matt N

TS Member
Favourite Ride
Mako (SeaWorld Orlando)
Sorry if there's already a similar topic, but I decided to make this topic to ask a question. Also, I wasn't entirely sure where to put this, so move this topic if you want, mods. Anyway, my question is the title of this topic; has enthusiasm for Alton Towers waned in recent years?

If you're wondering why I've asked this, it's because I've definitely noticed the amount of discussion and fandom for the park wane in recent years. For example, I will use the SW8 discussion and the first Smiler discussion from 2012 for a comparison. I wasn't around in 2012, but here goes. The SW8 discussion is currently totalling 149 pages of discussion. It has taken 18 months (May 2016-November 2017) to reach this number. By comparison, the Smiler discussion (known as SW7 Discussion on here) was locked at 141 pages of discussion, only 8 pages less than the SW8 discussion is currently at. It only took 6 months (June 2012-December 2012) for the topic to reach this milestone.

Another example I will use is that the number of active Alton Towers fan sites has gone down in recent years. There have been 5 Alton Towers fan sites that I currently know of (TowersStreet, TowersTimes, Alton Towers Almanac, Towers Nerd and Alton Towers Guide) throughout history. The only ones that are active as of November 2017 (that I know of) are this site and TowersTimes. I'm basing this on the fact that:
  • Alton Towers Almanac's last news article was the beginning of the 2014 season and Nemesis turning 20 and their last Facebook post was about Alton being prosecuted over the Smiler crash in April 2016. The last ride/area added to their park guide was CBeebies Land in 2014.
  • Towers Nerd's last news article was about live updates from Fireworks 2014 and the current poll is "What did you think of the 2012 season?" The last ride/area added to their park guide was Thirteen in 2010.
  • Alton Towers Guide just seems to have vanished from the face of the earth, with a Google search wielding no evidence that the site ever existed. The last update I remember was CBeebies Land in 2014.
So, do you guys think that there has been a decline in enthusiasm in recent years?
EDIT: I have now discovered that Alton Towers Almanac was abandoned due to the site owner getting an industry career.
 
The problem with using forum posts and websites to gain an idea is flawed as a lot of discussion, updates etc are now done on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter due to them being quicker to update and post things to.

Personally I enjoyed 2017 more than the previous two seasons but that's mostly driven by watching the construction of SW8 grow with each visit.
 
When it comes to the Alton Towers community, there's only so many websites you can have to cover the same thing, and as mentioned above social media is simpler to get updates.

Lack of enthusiasm, people in the community moving on, social media being more convenient, Merlin destroying the industry.... There are so many variables to the seemingly lack of enthusiasm for Towers of recent years there's not one single answer.
 
Of course it has. There's plenty of passion to be found here, but very little for we enthusiasts to actually be enthusiastic about, at least within this country. There's only so many years that you can watch a company which has a stranglehold on the UK industry cripple its own product for without wondering why you should care any more.
 
I still have interest in the parks but not on the scale i had some years back. The way Merlin has chipped away at the parks and the current state they are in has made me loose interest. I used to have my own site etc. Now i find other attractions offer a much better experience than Merlin attractions. My annual pass expires next year and I wont be renewing it. I used to visit The Towers over 20 times a year and that was from 250 miles away. Last year I went once. I am glad I had the chance to experience the enthusiasts forums at their peak. Times change but i detest the way Merlin Entertainments is currently running these parks.
 
I think there is still some enthusiasm, but, its been replaced by a lot of frustration as well. While many still look forward to a visit to their once fave theme park, there is the overall disappointment with some visits and the attitude from Merlin.

I believe the staff at Alton are still passionate about the park and have a genuine desire to see it succeed, but are just as frustrated as us with the constant cutbacks.

I dont think the number of fan sites is a valid measure of the enthusiasm for the park however, people get older, people change jobs and have less time, etc. plus when there are too many sites, most tend to stick to just one or two.

But overall, you want a reason for the lack of enthusiasm, just look at Merlin, and their lack of enthusiasm towards providing their customers with a decent day out.
 
There’s also an increased awareness of European parks compared to say ten years ago. When you map the general improvement of these parks against Alton’s slide into mediocrity it’s understandable that there’s a shift in enthusiasm.
 
In terms of interest in fan sites/forums then for me the biggest factor is social media. It has changed the world in many ways and lots of people now would much rather get their news and discuss in on a Facebook post than a forum.

:)
 
I definitely agree that the move to social media, including Youtube channels, is part of it. I don't tend to watch the Youtube channels, but I can see the appeal. It's like you're visiting a park through someone else's eyes, and you feel like you get to know the people in them more than you do the person behind a forum post. If I were 20 years younger I'm sure I'd be glued to them.

At the same time being a bit older and stuck in my ways I prefer the forums. Whilst watching Youtube video of a park you've never visited could give you a pretty good idea of what it's like, I think it might take away some of the magic when you do visit for the first time. You get the comedy joking around stuff, but you don't always get the factual information, although there are some amazing documentaries on Youtube so it depends what you choose to watch.

I like the fact that forums make it easier to flick back through time and see past discussions. Social media seems more ephemeral. There is some really good content on social media and some poor content on forums, but overall I think the quality of forums is higher. On social media you seem to get more 'click bait', and shorter messages that don't really add to the conversation. Generally forum posts seem to be more informed. The other thing is that publishing costs have come down, so perhaps more books on theme parks are being published. On the other hand, have the coaster clubs had a decline in membership and are as many DVDs being produced now so much goes on Youtube? It's a complex picture.

Has the UK industry declined since the 90s? I'd say it has. There are some stand out exceptions such as the development of Thorpe Park (even if it's not to every enthusiast's taste), the rise of Paulton's Park, Winter Wonderland, the growth in British water parks and the expansion of park accommodation. But on balance the industry does appear to have declined. But if I were a six year old visiting Alton Towers for the first time (or most other parks for that matter) I know I'd still be captivated.
 
I personally do like YouTube videos on theme parks and watch them very frequently, but I do prefer the forum to social media. And that's coming from someone in the alleged "social media generation".
 
The thing that causes this is the totally unrealistic expectations of what the park should do and the way people view the parks as almost a charity rather than a business. Yeah the park has slightly gone down hill since the Smiler crash but next year there will hopefully be lots of new life pumped into the park.
 
The theme park geek said:
The thing that causes this is the totally unrealistic expectations of what the park should do and the way people view the parks as almost a charity rather than a business. Yeah the park has slightly gone down hill since the Smiler crash but next year there will hopefully be lots of new life pumped into the park.
Click to expand...
I agree. Merlin are a company who have lost major amounts of money in recent years. I am optimistic that they will reverse their decisions once Alton is making money again.
 
The theme park geek said:
The thing that causes this is the totally unrealistic expectations of what the park should do and the way people view the parks as almost a charity rather than a business. Yeah the park has slightly gone down hill since the Smiler crash but next year there will hopefully be lots of new life pumped into the park.
Click to expand...
But Merlin were cutting away at the park long before The Smiler crashed. The crash is definitely a factor in the increasing cuts but it isn't the source of them.
 
Brad's quite right. Also, while I agree that treating Towers as if they're a charity is obviously totally unrealistic (though probably not actually a common perspective on TS), there's a big difference between that and thinking it's not unreasonable (and also quite sensible in fact) to expect a business that really sells experiences to try and make said experiences as good as it can, as well as raking in piles of cash. Done sensibly, that might actually result in bigger piles of cash.
 
No lack of enthusiasm from me. I love the place. Every time I enter towers street at the start of the day I'm every bit as excited now as I was as an 8 year old 38 years ago.

I'm no Merlin apologist and they have a lot to answer for. The reduction in park entertainment, removal of the flume, and the failure to look after their existing attractions are my biggest bugbears.

I'm in a minority here, but despite everything, I think it is good value for money. There is no reason why anyone should pay more than half price with the wealth of vouchers available and I can think of few places you can visit and experience half a dozen multi million pound attractions for 6 to 11 hours depending on the date for just over 25 quid. Wipes the floor with the cinema, theatre, concert and pretty much everything else as far as I'm concerned. The Vista of the towers, gardens and grounds are amazing. It's hard to make it bad.

I've given Merlin lots of stick when it's justified and will do again, but despite everything...

I still love AT!

If you see me there, I'm the big kid running about like an excited 8 year old. I feel so much younger at AT than anywhere else.
 
Matt N said:
I agree. Merlin are a company who have lost major amounts of money in recent years. I am optimistic that they will reverse their decisions once Alton is making money again.
Click to expand...
Lost money where? There are so many Merlin myths, don't believe everything you read - everything is public

I could write at length about this topic, but I won't. What I would say is that there have been doom-mongers since rec.roller-coaster, Matt's SW4 site, Rideas and the like. "OMG I can't believe they got rid of Thunder Looper" has become "OMG I can't believe they got rid of The Flume".

There are things to be frustrated about at Alton in 2017, but there are a lot of good things too. It's perverse really, the park's biggest fans are its biggest critics. It's like people that don't have a good word to say about their sports team but will follow them until their dying day.

The conversations are very much the same 20 years on. Very much the same.
 
Rick said:
Lost money where? There are so many Merlin myths, don't believe everything you read - everything is public

I could write at length about this topic, but I won't. What I would say is that there have been doom-mongers since rec.roller-coaster, Matt's SW4 site, Rideas and the like. "OMG I can't believe they got rid of Thunder Looper" has become "OMG I can't believe they got rid of The Flume".

There are things to be frustrated about at Alton in 2017, but there are a lot of good things too. It's perverse really, the park's biggest fans are its biggest critics. It's like people that don't have a good word to say about their sports team but will follow them until their dying day.

The conversations are very much the same 20 years on. Very much the same.
Click to expand...
I suppose. I was just basing it off the fact that so many members on here see the era from about 1992 to about 2003 as the park's "golden age" where Alton was this idyllic wonderland. I personally agree with you that there are many good things about 2017 Alton, and they personally far outweigh the bad things for me. Many of Merlin's cost cutting decisions are only very minor. For example, many parks in America shut mid-week during the off-peak season, so Merlin is no worse than many American parks in that respect. As short as the opening hours are, I find that there is still enough time to do everything I want to do in the park, and that's with arriving at about 11/11:30 and leaving at about 4:30/5:00. Also, a member on CoasterForce once said something about the opening hours that is very true and links in very well with this statement. They said that the British public treat a day at a theme park rather like a day at work in that they start at about 10 and leave at about 5, so it wouldn't be worth increasing opening hours on non-Scarefest days.

Everything I've said in this post is my opinion. It's quite hard for me to compare to the 1990s, as I wasn't around in the golden age of Alton so to speak.
 
I am not sufficiently qualified to comment on the general trends. However, on a personal level, my enthusiasm had started to wane, until I saw all the construction photos of the Woodie. What a refreshing, exciting step in the right direction that looks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top