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Park Hours: Updates and Discussion

Brad97 said:
I only visit Towers once a year at Scarefest. I'd love to visit during the summer but the park hours just aren't good enough to justify it.
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I won't be visiting again until then. Even if it's limited these days, the entertainment they put on and the reasonable 9pm closes are a reason to revisit. The thought of going on a packed day stood in queues only to be turfed out at 5 or 6 just isn't my idea of a good day out for a 3 hour drive. A dead September day is sometimes on the cards but the park is lifeless and 4pm is and always has been a totally unacceptable closing time.
 
Mikw said:
One of my reasons for leaving earlier is avoiding the traffic to be honest. JCB tend to clock off at the same time as the Towers traffic, then junction 24 of the M1 is unbearable at 5-6.30pm. If i leave at 2,30-3.30pm i save a lot of time and fuel.
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I do the opposite, I take my time to get out of the park, (still plenty to do and see, go and enjoy the views, go for a walk, go and see the real chain oak, go for a meal {I never eat on park during ride times except late nights, I bring my own pack lunch}
plus if you leave the park late, the parking attendants would have gone home and you will save on parking too..Shhhh!
)

To be honest, I never really have any problem with the traffic when driving home.
 
Error said:
You guys living a few minutes away saying "Oh there's no need to spend all day there" and "Oh there's not enough stuff to do to warrant such and such hours" - is talking cr@p and being selfish.

Think of the people coming from further a field, who cant just leave and pop back one afternoon next week.
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Your rant reminds me of one of the reasons I stopped attending the scarefest meet.
We'd make the trek up there on the first weekend, and it would be an utter shambles. Then we'd have to put up with all our wonderful friends on here who live oop norf, constantly telling us how amazing scarefest was now that they had ironed out the bugs, and they would be going there every night for the rest of the month. ;)
 
It's a massive park in the middle of the countryside that is accessed by thin single carriageway roads that is many hours away for most of the UK population.

Regardless of the "well I personally can get everything I want to do in a day done" and "you get what you pay for" arguments, why on earth would someone who lives 3 plus hours drive each way and &50 of fuel away be expected to spend hours queuing to get on an ever diminishing selection of rides in a lifeless Park for a measly 6 hours?

I spend a lot of my working days sat in motorway queues and have a selection of fast food outlets within walking distance of my house. Yet the majority of time in a 6 hour "day" at Towers for me is spent scoffing burgers in Uttoxeter mcdonalds or sitting in miserable queues on the M6. I can do both those things any day of the week where I live. The least I could get is a good quality 6~8 hours of escapism with the family for my troubles if I chose to do that with my leisure time, even if it meant I had to pay a higher gate price to do so.
 
I live a 4 and a half hour drive away and always used to visit 4-5 times a year. Each stay would be at least 2 nights in the ATH.

Opening times was one of the big factors as to why I haven't visited in the last 3 years. I work shifts so would often go in the mid week and have a great time with little to no queues. I can't do this now, so don't bother.

Also, they've lost 2 AP holders in my household because the trips to Alton is what made the AP wirth it. I don't see the value in getting one just for Thorpe so don't visit there either.
 
On quieter days could they open 3pm-10pm instead of 10am-4pm so that children and teenagers can come after school, they might be able to make a profit on such a day if they did that. (Please tell me if this is a terrible idea).
 
Personally, I appreciate day time opening because I always take days off work to visit Alton towers.

Later opening would work better for me (like 11-7pm) with ert at 10:00. Also I like have a day in towers and drive home in the evening if I'm only staying for one night.

Thats just me though, not sure kids would come after school. Not sure it's ever been tested.
 
If a park like Alton can't do 8 hour days then there's a problem. You reap what you sow, people expect to not eat there and go in with a plan of attack to get the most out of a 4pm close. The ends start justifying the means because the hours and operations drive the behaviour.

The park always has decent attendance during Scarefest when at least some entertainment is laid on and the opening hours are reasonable. If the park started to operate 10 - 18 or 11-19 of peak, visitors would change their behaviours. Even if it took time to bed in.

There's no evidence to suggest otherwise. Those who defend 4pm closes with ”but the park is quiet and I got on Nemesis 4 times" should look at the bigger picture. Anytime I take a friend or family member who hasn't been in a while, 4pm close is always the first thing they bring up as a concern. "Are you sure we can get everything done? Is it really worth it for just 6 hours?". How many other people are put off going because of this?
 
Matt.GC said:
If a park like Alton can't do 8 hour days then there's a problem. You reap what you sow, people expect to not eat there and go in with a plan of attack to get the most out of a 4pm close. The ends start justifying the means because the hours and operations drive the behaviour.

The park always has decent attendance during Scarefest when at least some entertainment is laid on and the opening hours are reasonable. If the park started to operate 10 - 18 or 11-19 of peak, visitors would change their behaviours. Even if it took time to bed in.

There's no evidence to suggest otherwise. Those who defend 4pm closes with ”but the park is quiet and I got on Nemesis 4 times" should look at the bigger picture. Anytime I take a friend or family member who hasn't been in a while, 4pm close is always the first thing they bring up as a concern. "Are you sure we can get everything done? Is it really worth it for just 6 hours?". How many other people are put off going because of this?
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well, it would save on staff costs on quiet days, and the park stays open on those days, i'm ok with it. You really can do the whole park and rerides on a quiet day even with only 6 hours.

Either way, the park's opening hours are longer now in the main summer period.
 
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