The Burden of Enthusiasm

[Mi-Nigle]

I went on Saturday with my parents and a Brazilian guy called Jonas who had come over to England to work with my dad for a few months, before going back to Brazil. We took him to AT because we thought he would enjoy something different like that.

While I still like AT and still keep going back, I feel almost numb to everything now. There's no sense of awe these days when seeing structures such as Nemesis or the scale of the gardens or the park itself. I've gotten into the habit (like most of us here I imagine) of looking past all that, and instead noticing rotting themeing, dirty track, broken/missing effects, untimely dispatches, unkempt gardens, ridiculous queue layouts... the list goes on!

Saturday was different however. I was with someone who, A) Had never been to Alton Towers before and, B) Had never even been to a proper theme park before. He knows of Hopi Hari, but it is too far from his home. It was so nice to watch how he reacted to the park and it brought back how I used to feel in the early days. It made me appreciate the huge variety of rides they actually have and how each one has one or several unique quirks which add a lot to the experience. Now I know, that amongst the enthusiast community, there are issues (Air's boring layout, Rita’s lack of theme, the concrete gardens of the Ministry of Joy... again the list goes on), but they are all things that seem to go completely unnoticed to someone like Jonas and I really enjoyed a day in the park seeing it through his eyes.

Part of me wishes that I knew nothing about anti-rollback systems or hydraulic launches or trim brakes or topspin sequences or B&M box spines or the effects of different wheel compounds on speed. Now I think about it while typing this, it is similar to what John Wardley says in his book,

Spoiler

where he talks about how boring and underwhelming a magic trick becomes when you know the secret.

The loss of AT magic is often discussed on these forums (I’m not trying to spark up that debate again, this is merely observation) and I often wonder if it’s partly because we know how everything works, from ride mechanics to park management. I think for Jonas, “How did they do that?” was a frequent question in his mind. I think this is what made the experience much more mind-blowing, an experience I don’t think I’ll find again, which is a shame. I did however get enjoyment from seeing someone else feel that way and it was nice to get a glimpse of what it was like.

I think this could be an interesting debate because the negative opinion is a popular one on this forum when it comes to Alton Towers and I myself tend to favour them the majority of the time. After Saturday though, I can see the park in a more positive light. I’m not saying that I am totally disregarding the faults and seeing the park as perfect and shiny, not at all. I think it’s more of a case of viewing it as a layman, so to speak, and getting more enjoyment out of the good aspects.

I could well be alone on this but I think as an 'all-knowing' enthusiast it's difficult to enjoy theme parks in general in the same way that the GP do, and I think in the case of Alton Towers that effect is exaggerated because of how intimately we know the place.

 

[smudge]

Good post.

Until The Smiler at least, I found myself feeling how you described below, underwhelmed.
(The Smiler is just a novelty for me presently, as it is new.)

I did however get enjoyment from seeing someone else feel that way and it was nice to get a glimpse of what it was like.

This is one of the highlights of HEX for me, of course we all know the score, but others reactions always make me smile.

One of the reasons I was 'enthused' by theme parks in the first place was the hardware & systems from an engineering perspective, which drove me to delve deeper into this subject.

Continuing my interest, I soon started becoming interested in the themes, the management, the running, the history and of course my enjoyment of visiting.

MAP's then purchased, and many, many visits later, there is only so many times you can watch RITA's pneumatic fins, for example, and still be interested.

Of course I love the parks still, and I would class myself as a thrill seeker, so of course I still enjoy the rides, but my frequent trips become more of a relaxed (a lonnnng liquid lunch in the travern / sunbathe in the Gardens or on the lawn) kind of trip, rather than running round like a madman trying to get the best ride-count.

Inevitably, there are downfalls to being so familiar with the place (AT especially), and as you say:

I've gotten into the habit (like most of us here I imagine) of looking past all that, and instead noticing rotting themeing, dirty track, broken/missing effects, untimely dispatches, unkempt gardens, ridiculous queue layouts... the list goes on!

I think by taking other people ('GP') really does open your eyes again to the wonderful feeling of awe, the excitement and, dare I say, the magic!

The Smiler also brought this on, but by taking others (for example my sister came along with me, the mrs & boy) just lately I feel I have turned a corner, from the place feeling almost mundane, to exciting again.

 

[NF2]

I've thought about this idea as well...

I live in Newcastle and only started driving last year, so am lucky if I manage trip incorporating a hotel stay a year, so don't get to visit as much as most on here, but yet I still go out of my way to notice broken effects and comment on known shortcomings discussed on forums. This month however I visited with my Cousin, Auntie and Uncle who had never been before and what I never considered was how blind they were going into it. They had never watched ride POVs online, looked round the park on Google maps or read extensive reviews of each attraction. Every ride they experienced was completely fresh to them.

The sheer scale of the place with the Gardens, Skyride, Hotels etc completely blew them away, and they all thoroughly enjoyed the likes of Hex and Duel without thinking of stuff like 'The Vault Audio is too quiet" or "The Undertakers hand is falling off". My uncles comment was "I was expecting this place to be naff and tacky like Thorpe Park but with a hotel tacked on" however as I mentioned, the sheer scale of Alton is what took them by surprise, even compared to Disney which they have visited numerous times Alton was like nothing they had ever visited before.

So yeah, to cut a long post short I genuinely believe taking the place at face value and not analysing is part of the magic. Nobody visits for the first time as an enthusiast, so provided that first visit goes well, you will always have positive associations with the park. Of course Alton could keep some effects and theming better maintained, but I think that some people on here (myself included when I was younger) believe Alton has been on some slippery slope the past 10 years or so. Whilst the likes of 2005 and 2006 saw poorly planned attractions in Rita and Charlie, who's to say the 90s 'Magic' era didn't have crap moments as well?

Reminiscing and Nostalgia are nice, but people do often forget about rose tinted glasses!

 

[rightbackgranty]

I too have felt like this at times when visiting the park and always find it a great pity. Living 20 minutes from the park I have visited numerous times to say the least, and a visit today can feel almost routine - like a drive to work. Its hard to take when I know fully well that Nemesis continues to be one of the most revered coasters in the enthusiast community and that the park is host to two further worlds firsts.

My visit last week was the first in three years and I was hopeful that visiting Alton Towers would be a bit like I remembered it when I was first visiting when I was younger - exciting (to the point of sleepless nights) and engrossing. Though it was nice to be back and on rollercoasters, it still all felt a little numb. Getting on The Smiler was certainly exciting, and was the most excited I have been at Alton Towers for a long time, but I'm sure that in time it will become a "normality" like the other attractions at the park.

However, I wonder if whether , for myself, this "fatiguability" of sensation is due to myself getting older or due to over visiting the park. In one way, I feel that as I have got older the fright factor of massive rollercoasters has dulled a little. I'm lucky enough to be heading to Orlando for 3 weeks this summer for the first time in over a decade so have all of Islands of Adventure, Expedition Everest and Seaworld to look forward to - it will be interesting to see whether the childish excitement returns or whether I take it with an air of cool! Certainly hoping that its the former option to be honest as Theme Parks are one of my pleasures in life and I don't really want to be bored by them!

One way I have found helps to keep a bit of perspective when at AT is to observe the reactions of those around you. I really enjoyed the reactions of those that were on Sub Terra, seeing the faces of people that were on The Smiler and the sheer terror of some people on Hex when I last visited and made me remember that I'm visiting one of the premier attractions in the UK.

 

[Olii]

This is exactly the reason I don't have a MAP. If I were to purchase one I would inevitably go to the Towers at least every other weekend, and potentially more, and would eventually find myself in the position of being immune to the magic and not feeling amazed by the huge structures, and not feeling the excitement as I turn into the front gates.

But because I limit my visits to around 3 (5 tops) a season, I still insist that some of the magic does remain! I obviously do notice the rust and rot and mistreatment, but really, that's only because it's been pointed out to me on here!

And I also think that knowing how everything works actually adds to the excitement for me, I don't know why because I feel that it should be taking away some of the magic of the rides, but it really doesn't.

Visiting too much would inevitably spoil it for me as it would become routine. I actually noticed this when I visited 11 times one season, and it became kind of dull and repetitive, so I decided to limit my annual Towers fix, and it has certainly paid off for me.

 

[delta79]

I started going to alton one a year about 2 years ago. this year i am planning two visits, one this friday.
Last year was my first visit with my daughter, it was a mixed bag as she has special needs. and i did not have time from finding out about altons disability access and the need for getting a doctors letter and the date we were going. leaving me to struggle keeping her in check.

But i could see the fun she had when got on a ride.

I also see the general maintenance problems around the park, but as a member of an estate team. I know the time and money that needs putting in to upkeep. And i think it could be much worse than it is.