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[The Smiler] Construction Updates and Ride Speculation

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Eesh, May?! We knew it was delayed but thats a good few weeks. Wont be getting on this till late June at the earliest!

But in all honesty, I'd prefer a late and properly done ride to an on time and rushed one.

Soft openings through April perhaps?
 
Interesting - I'd guessed (like most people on here) there was a delay, but May? I suppose it shows they want to get it right though - and I would guess they'll 'soft-launch' it as soon as they feel they're able to.

So in summary, little bit disappointed, but deep down knew it was likely to be coming :)
 
I'm fine with waiting until May. As I - and others, I'm sure - have said before, after the PR disaster that happened with Terry, I think it's important for the ride to be finished to an acceptable standard before it opens to guests, and especially because it's a Secret Weapon.
 
This does not confirm as such,

They have not came out saying it will not open till may they just mentioned it in a quote..
You read the bottom of the press release it keeps saying the vague 2013 label not May 2013
 
It'll be to their detriment I suppose. They are going to get a lot of complaints from Easter visitors that it's not open, especially those that remember the original opening dates advertised last season.
 
It is as close to confirmation of an opening date that we have had for a good few weeks now. It may not be 100% confirmation, but I'll take it at this moment.

There will be complaints, but what is done is done.

Wonder what this means for X Sector at the start of the season though? If all track isn't up by March then would it just be easier to keep it shut. More complaints would follow im sure, but if it aids completion then I'm all for it.
 
If it does open in May, like Alastair has said, many people will be complaining that the ride isn't open for the Easter hols. But I'd rather they have everything sorted out, including all theming elements etc. so that this ride is not another Terry incident. You never know it may open earlier than May, we can't really say at this moment in time. It's more an estimate.
 
From TS News:

After weeks of speculation, the new-for-2013 roller coaster called The Smiler will not open until May. This confirms earlier rumours of a delayed opening.

As we previously reported, things over the past few weeks have been moving very slowly in regards to The Smiler. A few weeks ago, the countdown clock was removed from the Alton Towers website and since then construction of the ride has moved very slowly. Since reporting that information, the country has been gripped by cold weather and this has probably slowed construction even further. As well as this, the park’s official call centres have gradually been sounding less confident about a March opening.

Today’s news has been released by Alton Towers’ Press Office. In a quote from the resort, regarding the ‘creepy sheep’ viral marketing campaign, they have said “We wanted to create some mystery around the name of our new world first rollercoaster, The Smiler. We’ve managed to baffle the nation and hopefully made a few people smile. The Smiler will be our biggest and most thrilling attraction the Resort has ever seen and we can’t wait for guests to join us in May and experience it for themselves.”

The last line of the quote confirms that The Smiler, which is described as being “an all-knowing controlling force that will make riders compliant until they become a smiling advocate,” will not open until May.

What this means for those who have already booked park tickets and hotel rooms expecting the ride to be open is unclear. We also do not know if there will be an official opening date or if the park will trial some soft openings across the month.
Click to expand...

Alton Press Release
 
Jonathan said:
I'm fine with waiting until May. As I - and others, I'm sure - have said before, after the PR disaster that happened with Terry, I think it's important for the ride to be finished to an acceptable standard before it opens to guests, and especially because it's a Secret Weapon.
Click to expand...

The trouble with comparing this to Sub-Terra is that Sub-Terra WAS finished and complete ready for opening, with only the effects like back pokers not working consistently. The scare maze wasn't part of the original plan and was only added after guest feedback was analysed.

Saying that, I'd rather they wait and finish what's on the plans before they open this to the public. Who knows, this could work in their favour by getting people to revisit later in the season when The Smiler is complete.
 
Dar said:
Jonathan said:
I'm fine with waiting until May. As I - and others, I'm sure - have said before, after the PR disaster that happened with Terry, I think it's important for the ride to be finished to an acceptable standard before it opens to guests, and especially because it's a Secret Weapon.
Click to expand...

The trouble with comparing this to Sub-Terra is that Sub-Terra WAS finished and complete ready for opening, with only the effects like back pokers not working consistently. The scare maze wasn't part of the original plan and was only added after guest feedback was analysed.

Saying that, I'd rather they wait and finish what's on the plans before they open this to the public. Who knows, this could work in their favour by getting people to revisit later in the season when The Smiler is complete.
Click to expand...
That's a fair point, Dar, but Sub-Terra wasn't finished to an acceptable standard according to the views of the general public, and I hope that Towers have learned from their errors in that. And regarding revisits later in the season, I was thinking the exact same thing!
 
Ah well, better late than never I suppose. At least they will get it open by the summer, that's the main priority.

I'm very disappointed though, I only manage one visit to Alton Towers a year and that's in April. So it's unlikely I'll be riding this till 2014. Shame, but it gives them more time to create a 'complete' product.
 
A delay til May will be unacceptable to most within the Merlin group.

It will have been a very tough decision for AT management to make.
 
It'll be interesting to see whether the ride opens at all before May or whether May is being used as the 'grand opening'

I think it would be fantastic for Alton to run soft openings on the ride before May if it is completed earlier than they expect.
 
They have most likely said May as they will know 100% it will be ready by then. They might have even exaggerated it slightly just to be on the safe side.

I'll be hoping out for a soft opening. If they got it ready early they could even do the grand opening earlier then send out some PR stunt along the lines of "The public are so excited for our new thrilling ride this year we've opened it earlier blah blah blah [insert more hype here]...". Soft opening would be the more likely scenario I would guess.
 
Orlando parks said:
Don't know if anyone els has noticed but at the bottom of the press release it confirms the trains we are getting are 4 rows of 4.
Click to expand...

That's been known for quite a while now. Over 3 months ago was when they released that actually, seems like yesterday :p
 
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