mo237
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Symbolica
I think you've uploaded the original by mistake
oh it was no mistake, there's a lot of hilarious jokes in there already
I think you've uploaded the original by mistake
There's people who might not know any different including enthusiasts and vloggers as they may not have experienced some of the more efficient parks in Europe.
I couldn't agree more on thisI must say I’m getting tired of Passholders on various social media groups justifying this whole fiasco by basically saying “it’s ok because we can just come again so people should stop moaning and being negative”. Just because we can come back another day doesn’t mean we have to put up with what Alton are currently serving us. Coming back again doesn’t make the product good, no matter which way you look at it, it isn’t good enough. It’s also the classic “I’m alright jack” attitude with no consideration for those who have paid a lot of money for day tickets only to be met with closure after closure and long queues. This mentality allows businesses to get away with providing a substandard service because they know they can rely on the repeat custom from ‘loyal’ customers who will continue to pay for their passes and turn up no matter what. They are part of the problem at this point.
People are making very valid points about why they didn’t enjoy their day only to get shut down by self righteous Passholders who refuse to accept any bad word said against Merlin.
Some of these passholders have never been to a non merlin park, in or outside of the uk and it really shows.
This is honestly my debate on whether to go to Towers.I can't wait to see how/if the park will defend the availability as of late. It's a 2.5hr drive for me, and requires me booking time off work, finding somewhere to stay, a full tank of petrol - but honestly, if I arrived to see these ridiculous queues and only two coasters open, I'd just go home. Insane.
That's very true, I have an enthusiast for a while however have become more active over the last 18 months or so with regular trips, travelling to Europe, going to coaster group events, giving advice on social media groups and taking part in discussions on the theme park forum like this one.I think as enthusiasts we often forgot how much we overanalyse and overthink every aspect. As with any hobby, there's often a turning point where you move from casual consumer to follower and i know personally as a very recent enthusiast and addition to this community i can recall several decades of theme park visits where they were simply an annual (or less) day out and nothing more.
For example, I remember visiting Six Flags Over Georgia about 20 years ago and getting on about 3 or 4 rides but having a great day still. I could look back and analyse the park with my new found knowledge of ride operations etc but at the time something breaking down was just one of those things. If anything it was probably a moment of excitement in itself and something for us all to talk about as we queued for the next attempted ride!
Basically, i think for a lot of people the poor availability can be chalked down to "one of those things" and a year or so later they'll have completely forgotten about it, perhaps swayed by advertising for a new ride.
I suppose the difference now is the social media element. I also do think they have somewhat crossed a line this week between an average experience that wouldn't stand out for most people and one so poor that people want a refund. But most of all, they've created a new type of customer with their MAP culture and we're seeing the results of that. Increasingly it does seem that people WILL tolerate poor service in exchange for a cheap subscription model of theme park. If MAP didn't exist i very much doubt the park would operate in this manner.
It sounds as though the wheels have really fallen off
To preface this- I’m no mechanic just thinking how I would solve these problems in work situation.
If I were tech services I would be compiling the list of reasons why there has been breakdowns - ie restraint issue, sensor issue etc and then seeing if there’s a common theme across certain rides and then looking into these issues over the closed season. A lovely spreadsheet would be great for this!!
They’ll know their rides as well as they can, but from the outside looking in it simply seems to be staffing issues. Seems they are fighting a losing battle, have too many fires to put out with not enough water. The park has always been in a remote location so as much as a challenge that might be they’ve managed to overcome it in the past, and with competitive pay and incentives they could easily do so again. They seems to be on a pretty big recruitment drive for tech services, and offering apprenticeships is another positive (yet I’m unsure about pay being offered). But Merlin have forced this downfall, that’s one thing that is true.To preface this- I’m no mechanic just thinking how I would solve these problems in work situation.
If I were tech services I would be compiling the list of reasons why there has been breakdowns - ie restraint issue, sensor issue etc and then seeing if there’s a common theme across certain rides and then looking into these issues over the closed season. A lovely spreadsheet would be great for this!!
I’m guessing as well one of the issues is the work they may usually do after normal ride close is not able to happen due to later closures.
If anyone has some insight into common reasons why rides breakdown loved to know- just your average arm chair RCT mechanic here!
I guess it also matters what they and you go to Alton for. If you go for rides then you are in trouble. If you go for some scare mazes and a walk round the gardens you probably wouldn’t see the wood for the Earl’s trees.
Where? In cbeebies land?However, Alton isn’t just coasters. They offer a big range of other rides which quite often have little downtime.
Where? In cbeebies land?
Where? In cbeebies land?
I certainly wouldn’t call what is on offer in the main park a ‘big range’ of rides. They have some rides, but certainly not enough to offset the crowds when the main coasters go down like they have been recently.