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Major Ride Closures 2016

Driving School is the one that puzzles me. Forgive me if I'm wrong but does it simply have to go now that the Peagot 207 (dated car) brand has expired and Merlin are using that as an excuse/contract clause to cut it? Or did it expire time ago? I can't see the two weird ones Hex and Driving School one shutting and one not as they are close to each other, sectioning off Driving will be hard without an ugly fence (CCL reboot would prolly have to happen in the next 5 years anyway its clashing as it is and Charlie would need a reboot), and getting off Hex to see
a SBNO ride would be hard to stomach as well. I highly doubt the ride is being replaced too. I hope at least if The Towers (who have liked their u-turns in the past) will at least revoke these two from the chop. Weird.
 
I'm looking through Facebook to see, I can only see complaints, nothing actually from Alton Towers themselves
 
I'll be surprised if this is entirely true. Hex makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to close it. Neither does the Driving School.

The Flume I understand given how old and a shambles it is, but it should be closed to make way for something better.

Sub Terra - well interesting, because I heard from someone who works there that people from other theme parks had been to visit Sub Terra with a view to purchasing it. Wouldn't surprise me given its a bit dull.

CATCF - well, lets face it, its rubbish. But, it will be a loss to families and those with small children , as will be the driving school.

Ripsaw - I think its getting to the point it will HAVE to be removed rather than Towers wanting to remove it.


If these are all true however, its going to be shocking, especially if the Smiler is still closed. And even more shocking if they do their annual price rise.
 
After all this, do we think The Smiler will re-open at all next season??
 
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Can't believe hex, I bloody love that ride.
So glad that I've got the hex music on my iPod that's all I can say.

Shocking.
 
Martin said:
If they were closing in advance of redevelopment or replacement, they would announce that first. And it's not going to be for maintenance/repair, it doesn't take two closed seasons and a full open season. It's clearly just more cost cutting and/or no longer having the staff with all these staff cuts that are coming.
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There hasn't been an official announcement, I expect early next year they will say that due to developments for the future X rides will be closing. Until that announcement is made, this is still rumour.
 
to be fair, all the rides bar Hex are explainable. Just all together is a shock. I would have thought Hex will stay open, although it needs work, and Sub Terra would be fixed.

They are either being tight arses or preparing for 3-4 years of major investments
 
Agreed hex is a blow rest at ending they shelf lives anyway. Wonder if merlin are finally going to invest in newer stuff. Spend money to get the punters back in/get confidence back. I'll be honest when I do go with mrs slugjc we don't do these rides. If people aren't using them what's the point in having them. Not the BBC where they can keep radio 3 going just for the sake of a few thousand.

I'm going for major overhaul. Hopefully I'm right. I think there is too much flapping around on this thread.
 
Alton Towers is turning into a joke. No doubt some level of management will be reading this thread so I hope you accept this fact.

Merlin have clearly reduced Towers' operating budget substantially next year. This is likely to only be the start, who knows what other cuts we will see in terms of staggered openings, F&B openings, more limited F&B menus, shorter opening hours and so on. Yet I bet you the gate price rises. That is plain wrong. They have to reduce the gate price for 2016 if they are eroding the product to such an extent.

Is this really going to want to make people go back to the theme park though? How on earth can this attract guests? "Visit Alton Towers in 2016 where six of the rides you've enjoyed over the last few years are now closed so you can't enjoy them". There is going to be a serious lack of things to do. Do Merlin not realise they are operating a theme park? It makes no sense whatsoever. Merlin have plenty of cash, yes Towers is in trouble but they can afford to support it for a couple of years until things are back to business as usual. But no, then the greedy shareholders wouldn't get as much cash back and we can't be having that.

Alton Towers deserves to fail in 2016 if this all goes ahead.
Tom said:
I wonder how you will feel if a planning application goes in for a wooden ride that traverses the Ripsaw and Flume sites.
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Yeah but that is not happening. Removing rides would be fine if they were being replaced. Clearly that isn't happening next year and it is doubtful that it will happen in 2017.

A log flume is a stable theme park ride and they remain extremely popular. Just look at the queue that The Flume gets in the summer months with nice weather. It is very popular. Yet they want to remove it. Pretty sure they spent a good amount of money on it sometime in the last couple of years as well. Mad.
PeteB said:
Hex is actually buggered, like all the other rides, as it still doesn't park properly despite being supposedly refurbed by Vekoma some time ago. Speakers in the vault are hit and miss too, mostly not working right.
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From what I've heard even Vekoma don't know how to fix the parking issue! So that's a permanent problem.

One thing I do expect from all of this is for the Hex decision to be reversed. It is such a great ride with a brilliant Alton Towers story, it would be a travesty to have it shut.

:)
 
Say all these proposed ride closures go ahead:

A family with young children is walking up from CBeebies Land, having done everything in there over the last couple of hours, through the Towers archway towards fountain square.

Parent 1: "Ah, Hex! Kid's, you'll think this is awesome. Oh wait, it's shut."
Parent 2: "Right, never mind, Charlie is just up here, the kids loved that last year! Oh wait, it's shut."
Parent 1: "Hmm ok, well we'll live, let's go and see Ice Age. Oh wait, it's only showing every hour and we just missed the latest one."
Parent 2: "Ooh that Driving School looks really good, do you want to go on that, kids?"
Children: "Yes!"
Parent 2: "Oh wait it's shut. Guess you can go on the carousel."

See where I'm coming from?
 
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Tom.B said:
Say all these proposed ride closures go ahead:

A family with young children is walking up from CBeebies Land, having done everything in there over the last hour, through the Towers archway towards fountain square.

Parent 1: "Great let's go on it! Oh wait, it's shut."
Parent 2: "Right, never mind, Charlie is just up here, the kids loved that last year! Oh wait, it's shut."
Parent 1: "Hmm ok, well we'll live, let's go and see Ice Age. Oh wait, it's only showing every hour and we just missed the latest one."
Parent 2: "Ooh that Driving School looks really good, do you want to go on that, kids?"
Children: "Yes!"
Parent 2: "Oh wait it's shut. Guess you can go on the carousel."

See where I'm coming from?
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You only allowed an hour for Cbeebies It'll take longer than that.
 
Towers in 2016? Possible ton of ride closures?

Looks like I'll be getting a hell of a lot of visits to Europa park then ;)
 
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