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The Smiler - General Discussion

Maybe they’ve listened to guest feedback and temporarily stopped FT?

The Smiler is probably one of my least favourite coasters at Towers, so I’m not personally crying into my cornflakes over it, but I do a feeling it will open very soon and all of this bedlam will be over.
 
rob666 said:
What bedlam?
Just a rollercoaster shut for a couple of weeks while they wait for a part.
It happens from time to time.
Gives you something to look forward to on your next visit.
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Bedlam definition - ’Scenes of uproar and confusion’

You’re saying some people haven’t been acting this way? :confused:
 
Matt878787 said:
Bedlam definition - ’Scenes of uproar and confusion’

You’re saying some people haven’t been acting this way? :confused:
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You're saying this because it's one of your least favourites. But to many on here I imagine it's their favourite. I can put money on it that if nemmy had been down for the same amount of time some people on here would literally be sobbing
 
Ethan said:
You're saying this because it's one of your least favourites. But to many on here I imagine it's their favourite. I can put money on it that if nemmy had been down for the same amount of time some people on here would literally be sobbing
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Maybe calm down. I said that although it’s not my favourite, I reckon they will get it open before the season is over.

People across social media are literally losing their s*** over its closure. It’s ridiculous.
 
Matt878787 said:
Maybe calm down. I said that although it’s not my favourite, I reckon they will get it open before the season is over.

People across social media are literally losing their s*** over its closure. It’s ridiculous.
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That's because it's the smiler. Going to towers without going on smiler is like going to Mcdonalds and not having fries
 
Ethan said:
That's because it's the smiler. Going to towers without going on smiler is like going to Mcdonalds and not having fries
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Just because The Smiler is your favourite doesn’t mean it is everyone’s. I’ve done at least two trips to AT without even thinking about riding The Smiler.
 
Ethan said:
That's because it's the smiler. Going to towers without going on smiler is like going to Mcdonalds and not having fries
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I don’t always have fries at McDonalds
I agree with you thought I enjoyed my scarefest visit less because The Smiler was closed, as to me a trip to Alton towers is not 100% complete without it whereas im not too bothered about other rides, there are certain times I don’t go on Galactica, Rita or Nemesis even when they’re open - if FV is too busy or Rita opens late
 
jon81uk said:
Just because The Smiler is your favourite doesn’t mean it is everyone’s. I’ve done at least two trips to AT without even thinking about riding The Smiler.
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Even if you aren't a fan of the ride you can't deny its a key attraction. The smiler being shut has more of an impact on guests than Rita, Galactica or th13teen for example
 
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During COVID, I’ve had 5 visits to Alton Towers. There were 2 of them where I did not ride Smiler, in spite of the fact that I rode Oblivion on both of those visits.

I myself don’t see it as a bread and butter attraction like some do.

However, I get where @Ethan is coming from. Most like The Smiler far more than I do, and its closure will have a big impact on the days of many. It is a popular coaster for sure.

To be honest, though, I’m unsure if The Smiler is really the flagship attraction at Towers, or the sole thing many people go for; I think many people visit Alton Towers because it’s Alton Towers, and visit for the overall experience of Alton Towers, as opposed to for one attraction. I won’t deny that Smiler is one of the park’s most popular rides, but Alton Towers has never really had a flagship attraction as such, and if anything, I’d argue that the one closest to a flagship attraction at present is Wicker Man, as that’s the newest ride that’s featured heavily in a lot of the recent marketing. I would not say that any ride is really Towers’ flagship; they don’t really emphasise any particular ride in their marketing in the way that Blackpool does the Big One, for instance. Towers places greater emphasis on the overall package in their marketing.
 
Matt N said:
During COVID, I’ve had 5 visits to Alton Towers. There were 2 of them where I did not ride Smiler, in spite of the fact that I rode Oblivion on both of those visits.

I myself don’t see it as a bread and butter attraction like some do.

However, I get where @Ethan is coming from. Most like The Smiler far more than I do, and its closure will have a big impact on the days of many. It is a popular coaster for sure.

To be honest, though, I’m unsure if The Smiler is really the flagship attraction at Towers, or the sole thing many people go for; I think many people visit Alton Towers because it’s Alton Towers, and visit for the overall experience of Alton Towers, as opposed to for one attraction. I won’t deny that Smiler is one of the park’s most popular rides, but Alton Towers has never really had a flagship attraction as such, and if anything, I’d argue that the one closest to a flagship attraction at present is Wicker Man, as that’s the newest ride that’s featured heavily in a lot of the recent marketing. I would not say that any ride is really Towers’ flagship; they don’t really emphasise any particular ride in their marketing in the way that Blackpool does the Big One, for instance. Towers places greater emphasis on the overall package in their marketing.
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I wouldn't necessarily say the smiler is the flagship ride, but it's certainly the ride that most people think of first when someone says to them Alton towers. Off course most enthusiasts would think of Nemesis first understandably
 
Ethan said:
I wouldn't necessarily say the smiler is the flagship ride, but it's certainly the ride that most people think of first when someone says to them Alton towers. Off course most enthusiasts would think of Nemesis first understandably
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I wouldn't say most enthusiasts even, it depends on the age of the guest and how often they go to the park. Right now most people would probably say Wickerman, but many in their 30s and 40s who grew up with the park of the 90s may say Nemesis or Oblivion. Prior to Wickerman I think many would have said Smiler, but the incident tainted that a lot and then Wickerman took the spot as newest ride.

As Matt said, AT is very different to BPB where the Big One is such an icon for the park, whereas AT has a few different memorable rides.
 
Ethan said:
I wouldn't necessarily say the smiler is the flagship ride, but it's certainly the ride that most people think of first when someone says to them Alton towers. Off course most enthusiasts would think of Nemesis first understandably
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Yes but that's not because they see it as a signature ride. As much as I hate it it's because of the accident. It's still the first thing you get when you search Alton Towers.
 
JAperson said:
Yes but that's not because they see it as a signature ride. As much as I hate it it's because of the accident. It's still the first thing you get when you search Alton Towers.
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Understandable though. It was one of the biggest accidents ever at a uk attraction. Unfortunately these things will always be spoken about
 
I love the Smiler, it's such a good fun coaster, it's also the key draw to the park for many.

So, even if you hate it you should want it to reopen because it means less queues for the other rides at the very least
 
Danscott22 said:
It's not been available for a few days now, must be a pretty serious issue with the ride
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It doesn't have to be serious issue. Just a bespoke part that's needed, or a shipping issue or something like that. Might even need replacment electonics and there's a chip shortage at the moment.
 
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