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Opening Hours cut
- Thread starter AstroDan
- Start date
Rowe
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Matterhorn Blitz (with an Aperol Spritz!)
I find it to be a confusing inconvenience on how much the closing times differ in comparison to other parks owned by Merlin, abroad or not, with regards to this season. Granted it's not going to affect when I'll be next visiting but Merlin are just making things incredibly awkward in working 100% and they need to recognise just how much they're causing frustration to people who travel so far to visit.
Stelios
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
mrbrightside said:
1. Ah I must of meant Merlin's competition then!
2. I think we should as enthusiasts just cope with a cut for once as then others would have to be made and this in my opinion unlike previous cuts is a rather moderate one. But don't get me wrong, it's still a bad move. The previous cuts were probably aided by Merlin but their flagship park with the most guests and rides should get more than family parks such as Legoland or Chessie where families leave early anyway.
A
Anonymous
It certainly seems like a strange set up, I feel sorry for the public visiting who are paying excessive money to be at Towers and get full enjoyment of their day out, and they are being robbed of a decent closing time.
It won't be pleasant visiting with the closing time so early, there is hardly enough time to get full enjoyment on a busy day anyway, especially with an early closing time.
I am going to have to start appreciating the 8pm close at PB more and stop moaning that it isn't 10pm or 11pm if places like Towers aren't open past 6pm.
It won't be pleasant visiting with the closing time so early, there is hardly enough time to get full enjoyment on a busy day anyway, especially with an early closing time.
I am going to have to start appreciating the 8pm close at PB more and stop moaning that it isn't 10pm or 11pm if places like Towers aren't open past 6pm.
AstroDan
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Just done a more full check on parks across the UK for opening / closing times in the July and August holiday:
Merlin Parks
Chessington 10:00 - 6:00pm daily
Thorpe Park 10:00 - 7:00pm daily
Legoland 10:00 - 7:00pm daily
Alton Towers 10:00 - 5/5:30pm (July) 10:00 - 6:00pm (August)
Other Parks
Oakwood 10:00 - 6:00pm (Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun) 10:00 - 10:00pm (Mon/Wed/Fri incl. fireworks)
Pleasure Beach 10:00 - 8:00pm daily
Drayton Manor 10:00 - 5/6:00pm daily
Adventure Island 11:00 - 10:00pm daily
West Midland Safari Park 10:00 - 9:00pm (August) 10:00 - 6/7:00pm (July)
Pleasurewood Hills 10:00 - 6:00pm
Fantasy Island 10:00 - 6/7/8/9:00pm
So looking at that, Alton Towers is pretty much the earliest closing park - or at least joint earliest closer. And it is massively bigger, and much more popular, with much longer queues, than most of the "other parks" who seem to be able to offer more.
Just. Seems. Wrong.
Merlin Parks
Chessington 10:00 - 6:00pm daily
Thorpe Park 10:00 - 7:00pm daily
Legoland 10:00 - 7:00pm daily
Alton Towers 10:00 - 5/5:30pm (July) 10:00 - 6:00pm (August)
Other Parks
Oakwood 10:00 - 6:00pm (Tues/Thurs/Sat/Sun) 10:00 - 10:00pm (Mon/Wed/Fri incl. fireworks)
Pleasure Beach 10:00 - 8:00pm daily
Drayton Manor 10:00 - 5/6:00pm daily
Adventure Island 11:00 - 10:00pm daily
West Midland Safari Park 10:00 - 9:00pm (August) 10:00 - 6/7:00pm (July)
Pleasurewood Hills 10:00 - 6:00pm
Fantasy Island 10:00 - 6/7/8/9:00pm
So looking at that, Alton Towers is pretty much the earliest closing park - or at least joint earliest closer. And it is massively bigger, and much more popular, with much longer queues, than most of the "other parks" who seem to be able to offer more.
Just. Seems. Wrong.
djtruefitt
TS Team
It is a real shame for the park. On my recent visits in the past few weeks its usually been a 5pm ride close and the whole of Towers Street is totally packed. Not only that but the queue for the monorail is so long the majority of guests walk back to the car parks. Then on a couple of my visits I have had to queue for 30 minutes to get out of the car park.
I only looked at the opening times a couple of days ago and there were 6pm ride closes this week, which have now been cut.
I only looked at the opening times a couple of days ago and there were 6pm ride closes this week, which have now been cut.
Dave
TS Founding Member
Merlin give with one hand and take away with the other...
The trouble is Alton not only has to deal with it's own reduced guest numbers due to the weather and it's over priced reputation. It also has to plug the losses at other Merlin parks who are losing money. The park is too big for any of the late opening/ closed rides scams to work (whereas they seem to get away with that at Thorpe) so this is what they will control.
Each park needs to run as an individual concern, if Merlins so called "flagship" park can't open as long as West Midlands Safari Park then what the hell is going on?
The trouble is Alton not only has to deal with it's own reduced guest numbers due to the weather and it's over priced reputation. It also has to plug the losses at other Merlin parks who are losing money. The park is too big for any of the late opening/ closed rides scams to work (whereas they seem to get away with that at Thorpe) so this is what they will control.
Each park needs to run as an individual concern, if Merlins so called "flagship" park can't open as long as West Midlands Safari Park then what the hell is going on?
Do we honestly believe the park is anywhere near "flagship" status? I would give that dubious crown to Heide Park myself.
Edit
Also - I never understand the "well although this is a terrible decision that will only have negative consequences; it is slightly less bad than the park closing altogether so we should be happy with it" attitude that seems to prevail most times a poor decision is announced. This park is being run in a manner best described as a shambles. It is an embarrassment how its closing times compare with the other parks in this country. It is bizarre that it is being hit much harder than Thorpe. It is depressing how poor the customer experience is becoming.
Edit
Also - I never understand the "well although this is a terrible decision that will only have negative consequences; it is slightly less bad than the park closing altogether so we should be happy with it" attitude that seems to prevail most times a poor decision is announced. This park is being run in a manner best described as a shambles. It is an embarrassment how its closing times compare with the other parks in this country. It is bizarre that it is being hit much harder than Thorpe. It is depressing how poor the customer experience is becoming.
AstroDan
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance, Cedar Point
Heide gets nowhere near the guest numbers to be their flagship park - although it is getting the investment levels. Heide-Park closes earlier than most German parks - at 5:00pm or 6:00pm, with very few days where it goes later. By contrast, many of the other German parks open until 7/8/9pm depending on the time of year. Heide also has entire sections of the park simply "closed off" - like the traditional plaza with a Tea Cup ride in the middle.
If you ask me, Gardaland is pretty much their biggest and most popular theme park - with over 3m guests, a proper winter season, late opening, lots of shows etc.
If you ask me, Gardaland is pretty much their biggest and most popular theme park - with over 3m guests, a proper winter season, late opening, lots of shows etc.
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
If Gulliver's Kingdom can stretch to 5pm in summer you'd rather hope parks on the scale of Towers would be able to make at least 7pm most nights. I just don't understand Merlin's logic sometimes.
Alton Towers should be the flagship park for Merlin. It has the world class attractions, the setting, and the themeing on most of it's rides to easily be it. What it lacks is the investment to keep it the flagship. Would you go to a Disney park and find a ride where the themeing is rotten and crumbling? (Here's looking at you Nemmy), or a coaster which has started turning white with age? Or a flat ride which can only run one half of itself due to it's poor quality? Of course not! Not even at Paris for goodness sakes, which is supposedly one of their less financially secure parks. Yet here we are.
When Merlin first came things started to look up, with the Monorail overhaul, new Skyride gondolas, and Mutiny Bay. It was all looking so good for a while. But since Th13teen it's as if they've forgot the park exists. Merlin are like a small child with a toy. They've had some fun with it and gotten some enjoyment, but now they're bored of it and it's going to sit around collecting dust.
Personally I'm starting to wonder why they even bother. They're clearly only driven by growth and profit, yet they'll avoid anything which might cost a bit of money and increase profits further. They're doing more harm than good, and if they're going to keep it up they might as well just package up Towers, and the rest of the UK parks and sell them on. No one's going to want to buy the parks if they just let them keep going downhill until they're trying to flog a big Camelot.
The rate of decline at Towers at the moment is getting frightening, and someone needs to step in and do something before Merlin's cost cutting drags it any further into the mud. Alton Towers should be a goldmine, with rocketing guest figures and high income. Yet some accountant sat in a backroom in Poole with his calculator just can't understand the spend money to make money logic. Surely the park has been open long enough and has enough experiance to realise that whenever they spend a lot of money and do something right income goes up?
This latest cut is just further proof that the park needs help. If Alton Towers cannot manage a reasonable closing time for a park of it's scale then it's a poor tale ???
Alton Towers should be the flagship park for Merlin. It has the world class attractions, the setting, and the themeing on most of it's rides to easily be it. What it lacks is the investment to keep it the flagship. Would you go to a Disney park and find a ride where the themeing is rotten and crumbling? (Here's looking at you Nemmy), or a coaster which has started turning white with age? Or a flat ride which can only run one half of itself due to it's poor quality? Of course not! Not even at Paris for goodness sakes, which is supposedly one of their less financially secure parks. Yet here we are.
When Merlin first came things started to look up, with the Monorail overhaul, new Skyride gondolas, and Mutiny Bay. It was all looking so good for a while. But since Th13teen it's as if they've forgot the park exists. Merlin are like a small child with a toy. They've had some fun with it and gotten some enjoyment, but now they're bored of it and it's going to sit around collecting dust.
Personally I'm starting to wonder why they even bother. They're clearly only driven by growth and profit, yet they'll avoid anything which might cost a bit of money and increase profits further. They're doing more harm than good, and if they're going to keep it up they might as well just package up Towers, and the rest of the UK parks and sell them on. No one's going to want to buy the parks if they just let them keep going downhill until they're trying to flog a big Camelot.
The rate of decline at Towers at the moment is getting frightening, and someone needs to step in and do something before Merlin's cost cutting drags it any further into the mud. Alton Towers should be a goldmine, with rocketing guest figures and high income. Yet some accountant sat in a backroom in Poole with his calculator just can't understand the spend money to make money logic. Surely the park has been open long enough and has enough experiance to realise that whenever they spend a lot of money and do something right income goes up?
This latest cut is just further proof that the park needs help. If Alton Towers cannot manage a reasonable closing time for a park of it's scale then it's a poor tale ???
Ben
TS Founding Member
- Favourite Ride
- Your Dad
Just wait for the first 3/4 days of the park being closed early, and guest feedback saying its too early and they were still queuing for rides.
There will then be some miraculous turn around on the decision.
Merlin really have no clue how to run a park, this season has been nothing but laughable, misguided, cost cutting ideas that (even with every fan, and the park management saying its a rubbish idea) are implemented then withdrawn when they have tested it to see it fail.
Merlin have no backbone or foresight - they sold them on ebay for £6.49 +p&p, and its just one stupid decision after another, overturned one after another.
There will then be some miraculous turn around on the decision.
Merlin really have no clue how to run a park, this season has been nothing but laughable, misguided, cost cutting ideas that (even with every fan, and the park management saying its a rubbish idea) are implemented then withdrawn when they have tested it to see it fail.
Merlin have no backbone or foresight - they sold them on ebay for £6.49 +p&p, and its just one stupid decision after another, overturned one after another.
CoasterCrazyChris
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
Ian said:
Normally I would agree with this, but the case of Thorpe Park this season after installing The Swarm makes me doubt whether this is always the case.
Ian
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Dizz, Bobby’s Yarn Land
I think this year as far as the UK goes has been a bit of an anomily, but it is usually a case of you spend money, you get money. Obviously, what with money not stretching as far, the weather, and the general London area being a bit all up in the air at the moment I can understand people not visiting the parks quite as much.
But if you look at most other years where it doesn't seem everything is out to get the industry I think it'd be fair to say where there's investment there's return
But if you look at most other years where it doesn't seem everything is out to get the industry I think it'd be fair to say where there's investment there's return
BigT
TS Member
I could be wrong but I'm not convinced this is about cost cutting.
Could it be that Alton are trying to push the multi day stays and resort side of things aggressively, it makes sence to have a shorter day so you don't cover everything in one day.
I can't believe management could be that incompetent not to do this on purpose and if it was only about cutting costs there are loads of other ways to do that without impacting on opening times.
Could it be that Alton are trying to push the multi day stays and resort side of things aggressively, it makes sence to have a shorter day so you don't cover everything in one day.
I can't believe management could be that incompetent not to do this on purpose and if it was only about cutting costs there are loads of other ways to do that without impacting on opening times.
Croftybaby
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
I think Merlin need to stick with what they know - Fish Tanks.
They don't seem to see the holes they are digging. Look at all the F&B spots closed, half of them shouldn't have ever been built in the first place. They went mad sticking cabins everywhere and Magic Slush Stalls. They all sell the same overpriced stuff. Toffee Crisps and Drifters, how many times in a day can you flog the same bag of overpriced smarties?
Open early, open late, close late, open later, close early? I don't think Alton know what time they are open and closed so how are the public meant to plan anything?
They have lost touch with the UK business, much like another massive UK corporation has and they ended up coming back crying for forgiveness after the share price bombed. The similarity between what's happening is uncanny, using the British machine to prop up the international trade while neglecting the very location that is holding everything together.
They don't seem to see the holes they are digging. Look at all the F&B spots closed, half of them shouldn't have ever been built in the first place. They went mad sticking cabins everywhere and Magic Slush Stalls. They all sell the same overpriced stuff. Toffee Crisps and Drifters, how many times in a day can you flog the same bag of overpriced smarties?
Open early, open late, close late, open later, close early? I don't think Alton know what time they are open and closed so how are the public meant to plan anything?
They have lost touch with the UK business, much like another massive UK corporation has and they ended up coming back crying for forgiveness after the share price bombed. The similarity between what's happening is uncanny, using the British machine to prop up the international trade while neglecting the very location that is holding everything together.
Croftybaby
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis
If the park is 'Dead' Then the solution is to bring in customers!!!
You've got the staff in, you've made 50,000 bags of pop corn, you've filled the Rapids lake, you've done all the H&S checks. Now you need to get guests in to make the money.
If your using the 'it's dead' logic to run a business then you might as well never open, imagine how much money you'd save then?!
You've got the staff in, you've made 50,000 bags of pop corn, you've filled the Rapids lake, you've done all the H&S checks. Now you need to get guests in to make the money.
If your using the 'it's dead' logic to run a business then you might as well never open, imagine how much money you'd save then?!