@Matt N you’re either one of the most optimistic people I’ve ever read on a forum, or a brilliant troll, either way, I admire you.
Thank you very much
@MaxPower; I'm genuinely not trying to come across like a troll, as much as I might sometimes look like one! I've always tried to embrace the positive parts of every development at the park instead of dwelling on the negatives.
While I will admit that I would have personally rather had a family-orientated dark ride included in park admission as CATCF's replacement and I admit that the Dungeons is not my sort of thing due to a personal dislike/fear of actor led attractions, I am willing to look at the Alton Towers Dungeons with a happy set of eyes and say that they should be a great addition to the park that will offer something a bit different to what the park currently has on offer. It should certainly attract people who are into actor led attractions to the park outside of Scarefest, and it might be good for those who are looking for a slightly different sort of thrill to what rides offer. As I've ready mentioned, it's not my sort of thing at all, and it's not what I would personally have chosen, but I am ultimately a microscopic proportion of Alton Towers' target market, and it would be awfully selfish of me to expect Merlin to do everything that I want all the time. Merlin likely know the market that they are dealing with far better than I do. They've probably conducted surveys and market research into what sort of attraction Alton's target market want. If these surveys say that the overriding majority of Alton's target market want a Dungeons attraction, then that's the attraction that Merlin will probably install. They know what they are doing and only have the best intentions for Alton Towers' future, so I'm optimistic that this should be a good addition to the park in the long term.
As for how the Alton Towers Dungeons will work alongside Cloud Cuckoo Land; that is where I do have some reservations, especially if there are themed actors wandering outside like they have at other Dungeons attractions. Thankfully, it would seem that Alton is classing the Dungeons as part of The Towers/Fountain Square as opposed to Cloud Cuckoo Land, which should go some way towards remedying the problem, but in my opinion, having horror-themed actors so close to an area targeted towards young children could be a recipe for disaster if not implemented sensitively enough. When I was a young child, I would have been terrified by actors like the ones that typically wander around outside the Dungeons attractions, so it might not be the best idea to have them lurking around by Cloud Cuckoo Land. This is probably just me worrying unnecessarily, though; I'm sure Alton has a plan in place to prevent any scared children.
So, before I ramble on for too long, what I'm basically trying to say is that while the Dungeons are not what I would personally have chosen, I think that they will be a successful addition to the park that many people will enjoy.
P.S. Sorry for long post. Also, sorry if any of my criticisms are a tad too harsh.
