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Park Hours: Updates and Discussion

I think the locals are often given a bad press by the geeks, Towers get away with a lot as the majority of local folk accept the benefit the park brings to the economy. Obviously they have demands but they are not completely unreasonable, the majority of the restriction on the park are related to English Heritage not the locals. A few high profile Nimby’s in the area do not make the whole community anti-towers.
 
AstroDan said:
It is true that noise can affect the local community, but there's no actual bylaws saying ATR cannot operate at 8 or 9pm. It is merely a conveniene that by closing earlier, they irritate less locals.They can open until 4,5,6,7,8,9, 10pm as much as they like.

If anything, by closing later - traffic is far more staggered than 15,000 people all leaving at once.
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Hmm, maybe, though I think if the park is open later, people will stay later. I think in terms of keeping the locals on side and getting planning permission for future rides etc, then they need to be considerate neighbours. I do think that if they had got the go ahead for the relief road all those years back that perhaps we would see later opening times.
 
Many people will stay later but not all, when they had 7pm summer openings it was usually very quiet in the final hour. This means departing traffic is spread over a much longer period than just the hour of total mayhem that they have if everyone is forced to leave at the same time.
 
I think the annual pass encourages shorter visits, at least for those who are local (but also those who stay overnight).

I'm happy to go to Thorpe, and leave after I've had a ride on all the coasters. This weekend we arrived at 11 and left at 4.

Same at Alton towers, although I'll have to stay over. I'll go the first day and get an afternoon with a few rides, next day do a few more.

I can relax, because I've got 'unlimited' time in the parks. I think people who buy day tickets feel they have to be there to get every minute out of the rides to get their monies worth.

I hope this attitude of 'popping in' doesn't influence opening times, because actually I'd pop in more, and later, and eat there if the place was open for me to do so.
 
Lurker said:
I hope this attitude of 'popping in' doesn't influence opening times, because actually I'd pop in more, and later, and eat there if the place was open for me to do so.
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I think you could make that argument for Thorpe, Alton less so.
 
Does anyone else read this thread nam, in their head and every time they see it. In Jeremy Clarksons voice? Who always ended statements with: '......in the world.'
 
Lurker said:
I think the annual pass encourages shorter visits, at least for those who are local (but also those who stay overnight).

I'm happy to go to Thorpe, and leave after I've had a ride on all the coasters. This weekend we arrived at 11 and left at 4.

Same at Alton towers, although I'll have to stay over. I'll go the first day and get an afternoon with a few rides, next day do a few more.

I can relax, because I've got 'unlimited' time in the parks. I think people who buy day tickets feel they have to be there to get every minute out of the rides to get their monies worth.

I hope this attitude of 'popping in' doesn't influence opening times, because actually I'd pop in more, and later, and eat there if the place was open for me to do so.
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True, i go most weeks and usually arrive at 9.30 am and leave at abour 2.30 pm. I do what i want to do and then get back before the monorail gets too busy.

No need to spend all day there.
 
Mikw said:
True, i go most weeks and usually arrive at 9.30 am and leave at abour 2.30 pm. I do what i want to do and then get back before the monorail gets too busy.

No need to spend all day there.
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There isn't enough to keep you occupied in Towers to be worth spending the day there for currently on a 9.30-5 unless you want countless rerides of the larger rides. On a medium crowd day you can easily get the main rides done in 4-5 hours including waking (as we did this Sunday and that was with the park the busiest I have seen outside of scarefest)
 
Mikw said:
True, i go most weeks and usually arrive at 9.30 am and leave at abour 2.30 pm. I do what i want to do and then get back before the monorail gets too busy.

No need to spend all day there.
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....and yes it is guest like you that leave at 2.30pm that Merlin love as it gives them the justification to close the park early to save ££££££. Thanks to your post, next years park closing time will now change to 2.30pm o_O

Each to their own. If I'm going to have to get out my bed extra early than normal, travel over 4 hours to get to a Theme Park, then I wan't to make my effort worthwhile. I want as much time and get on as much rides in the park as possible. There is plenty to do and see at Alton, not just all rides. Probably more to see and do than what they had back in the 80's when I first visited. What the park lacks is just a good variety of attractions, something for everyone (not just all about rollercoasters and CBeebies).

I would rather spend an extra couple of hours riding my favourite rollercoasters as oppose to getting on the Mono Rail before it gets too busy. But then again, that's just me. If you must have a ride on the Mono Rail, then leave the park when the park is busy, take a ride on the Mono Rail to the car park and back again. Then re enter the theme park and take a ride on the rollercoasters (especially towards the end of the day when the park quieten down again). Then Walk to the car park when you leave the park, the walk from the park entrance to the car park is not that far and is no difference to walking around the park itself, if anything it's less of a walk.
 
Doublethink said:
There isn't enough to keep you occupied in Towers to be worth spending the day there for currently on a 9.30-5 unless you want countless rerides of the larger rides. On a medium crowd day you can easily get the main rides done in 4-5 hours including waking (as we did this Sunday and that was with the park the busiest I have seen outside of scarefest)
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I spent an entire day once just walking around the gardens!
 
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.

If the days felt less rushed where from the moment I got into the gates stressing that I want to get on as much as possible in the time that I had, I swear I would spend time having a pint at the welcome inn and taking in the sights of the gardens.

crumbs that hit a nerve.
 
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.

If the days felt less rushed where from the moment I got into the gates stressing that I want to get on as much as possible in the time that I had, I swear I would spend time having a pint at the welcome inn and taking in the sights of the gardens.

crumbs that hit a nerve.
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I live 55 miles away, if i get there early and leave early - and avoid the worst of the traffic, it takes about an 1 hour and 15 minutes
 
RoyJess said:
....and yes it is guest like you that leave at 2.30pm that Merlin love as it gives them the justification to close the park early to save ££££££. Thanks to your post, next years park closing time will now change to 2.30pm o_O

Each to their own. If I'm going to have to get out my bed extra early than normal, travel over 4 hours to get to a Theme Park, then I wan't to make my effort worthwhile. I want as much time and get on as much rides in the park as possible. There is plenty to do and see at Alton, not just all rides. Probably more to see and do than what they had back in the 80's when I first visited. What the park lacks is just a good variety of attractions, something for everyone (not just all about rollercoasters and CBeebies).

I would rather spend an extra couple of hours riding my favourite rollercoasters as oppose to getting on the Mono Rail before it gets too busy. But then again, that's just me. If you must have a ride on the Mono Rail, then leave the park when the park is busy, take a ride on the Mono Rail to the car park and back again. Then re enter the theme park and take a ride on the rollercoasters (especially towards the end of the day when the park quieten down again). Then Walk to the car park when you leave the park, the walk from the park entrance to the car park is not that far and is no difference to walking around the park itself, if anything it's less of a walk.
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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.
 
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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