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Scarefest 2018
- Thread starter Matt.GC
- Start date
funstie161
TS Member
Last year on the Saturday of Halloween weekend we bought a platinum fastpass's. Through the day it was fine but later on the queues were crazy. 1hr for Rita, 45mins for 13, 30mins for Smiler. So we didn't bother in the main. So, if you plan to use the fastpasses during the day it works.....if leaving them for the evening I would just go with the main queue. From what I've read on here it seems its the same this year.
Despite the huge queue waiting times, I personally refuse to pay for Fast tracks. The queues should not be as long as they are for the park numbers. If the info that I've been told is correct, apparently there was only approx 12,000 guest on park on the Saturday 6th Oct and only approx 14,000 guest on park on the Sunday 7th Oct. The queue lines should never be this long.
The next bit of information I got conflicting info from two different sources. Apparently the guest numbers have declined again this season (which I find hard to believe due to the Wickerman) and the queue lines have been artificially increased through poor operations to increase fast track sales. This is disputed from another source, so make of it as you wish.
I personally will not purchase fast tracks as this plays into the hands of Merlin/Alton and we will only encourage them to keep on providing poor ride operations in order to sell more fast tracks.
Fast tracks can be good, but in my experience, they only really save you 10 mins, if the queue lines are quiet, then they are useless, and if the queue lines are busy, then so are the Fast track queues, so again making them useless. Don't forget that there is usually a long queue in the box office to go and collect them too
Bert2theSpark
TS Member
Visitor numbers being down sound definitely BS.
I’ve heard tons from people going to Towers for the first time in ages or even first time at all. Also I’d suspect the new AP’s would have helped increase attendance.
Not to mention we’ve had word from the park themselves saying that WM has been successful, I can even remember Towers FB saying in the first month alone WM passed 100,000 riders.
I’ve heard tons from people going to Towers for the first time in ages or even first time at all. Also I’d suspect the new AP’s would have helped increase attendance.
Not to mention we’ve had word from the park themselves saying that WM has been successful, I can even remember Towers FB saying in the first month alone WM passed 100,000 riders.
Steve74
TS Member
The 3rd train was off for maintenance apparently. Was running on 2 trains all day Saturday and most of Sunday. Joined an advertised queue of 80 mins at 8.45 on Sunday night and was off the ride by 9.40. When we joined the queue, it was running 3 trains again.
Steve74
TS Member
People were removed from the Smiler queue for queue jumping and on Marauders Mayhem, some girls got out of the car before the ride had completely stopped even though the ride op told them to sit down. He e-stopped it and one of them jumped the locked exit gate, the 3 others didn't. He called security and they were all escorted out of the park. Needless to say both occasions all involved were from a certain community who were visiting. We spoke to the ride op and he said that so far (it was about 6pm) a few hundred had already been removed from the park for bad behaviour.
Steve74
TS Member
A few pics from this weekend. The lighting on Wicker Man that lights up the structure and the coaster actually flickers red and yellow so giving a realistic burning effect.
https://imgur.com/6MIDBuc
https://imgur.com/FkhyQIn
A video of the skeletons in the window is here. A shame that their audio was drowned out by the musical bush that was behind me!
At the beginning and end of the animation, they draw the curtains. The one after that was them all ballroom dancing! Great touch that sadly not many saw.
https://imgur.com/6MIDBuc
https://imgur.com/FkhyQIn
A video of the skeletons in the window is here. A shame that their audio was drowned out by the musical bush that was behind me!
At the beginning and end of the animation, they draw the curtains. The one after that was them all ballroom dancing! Great touch that sadly not many saw.
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Morgan Price
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Hyperia
Me and my friend were there that day. We had to queue for 20 minutes in the car just to get inside the park boundary. It was absolutely packed
Rob
TS Team
- Favourite Ride
- Steel Vengeance
So I did all of the mazes on Saturday, here is a quick summary.
- Mine Tours - same as last year with a slightly revised ending. I quite like this maze, it flows well and builds up nicely.
- Sub-Species - I had a poor run through with very few actors. Not a patch on what it was in its first year.
- Project 42 - the pre-show video starts off by saying "project 42 was a failure. That sums it up quite well! It's just very generic and does not have a story that works. Hopefully it will not return in 2019, it is not up to the standard of an Alton Towers scare maze.
- The Welcoming - even better than last year! It's not scary (it's not meant to be) however it is a great theatrical production with lots of actors and great pacing and build up to the finale. The finale is much improved also. Definitely the highlight of Scarefest 2018.
Laura91
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Storm in a teacup
Project 42 is my favourite maze there. I know it’s down to personal opinion but I really enjoyed it and can’t wait to go through again. I felt the actors were really strong, I liked how the actor outside was interacting with the nemesis queuline, I didn’t see them break character once. I also loved the make up in the final scene.
I also really liked the fact the maze hosts were in themed costumes, only having gone to fright nights before and seeing all the hosts just in Thorpe uniforms, it was a nice change.
I also really liked the fact the maze hosts were in themed costumes, only having gone to fright nights before and seeing all the hosts just in Thorpe uniforms, it was a nice change.
bluesonichd
TS Member
"What are your hopes for visitors to Project 42?
We want guests to feel like there is no escape and that they are immersed in a world of fear. They should be asking; why did I sign up to this? When will it end? And sigh a breath of relief once they exit the attraction but want to go around again because the adrenaline rushing through their system. If I can hear screams and gasps of horror when guests exit a maze I know we’ve done a good job!"
Wants to hear people scream and gasp as they exit the maze,. he must be very very very disappointed by now then
https://backstage.merlinentertainme...ogInQvEH3NSsKkicpWkXhIWWaHHP1LF2fG0j4YFOlLBsw
We want guests to feel like there is no escape and that they are immersed in a world of fear. They should be asking; why did I sign up to this? When will it end? And sigh a breath of relief once they exit the attraction but want to go around again because the adrenaline rushing through their system. If I can hear screams and gasps of horror when guests exit a maze I know we’ve done a good job!"
Wants to hear people scream and gasp as they exit the maze,. he must be very very very disappointed by now then
https://backstage.merlinentertainme...ogInQvEH3NSsKkicpWkXhIWWaHHP1LF2fG0j4YFOlLBsw
bluesonichd
TS Member
Mine Tours just gets better and better.
I’m gonna be so bummed when this maze goes
P42 I’ve finally give up on. There was a glimmer of hope today but after catching upto the group in front was just a conga line of zero scares to the end.
I’m gonna be so bummed when this maze goes
P42 I’ve finally give up on. There was a glimmer of hope today but after catching upto the group in front was just a conga line of zero scares to the end.
We went today and one of the staff members said to us that it was the busiest day this year, we waited a maximum of 10 minutes with our FT passes so it was 100% worth it.
I begrudge paying any money towards FT. A good day at a theme park should not cost you more than than £50 entry fee to ride a handful of your favourite rides.
If FT was completely removed (or the sale of them limited to a sensible number), then the main queues would't be as long as they are. Guest purchasing FT is only adding to the problem.
Poor ride operations is also adding to the problem this year.
evilcod
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Pirates of the Caribbean - Paris
Wickerman yesterday was up to 180mins at times. It was running to its maximum capacity with trains reliably crossing on break run and lift. Only fastrack avaliable for it is the very limited platinum. Make of that what you will.
I begrudge paying any money towards FT. A good day at a theme park should not cost you more than than £50 entry fee to ride a handful of your favourite rides.
If FT was completely removed (or the sale of them limited to a sensible number), then the main queues would't be as long as they are. Guest purchasing FT is only adding to the problem.
Poor ride operations is also adding to the problem this year.
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