• ℹ️ Heads up...

    This is a popular topic that is fast moving Guest - before posting, please ensure that you check out the first post in the topic for a quick reminder of guidelines, and importantly a summary of the known facts and information so far. Thanks.

Towers Loving Care

A really good and honest interview with Wayne there, quite refreshing to hear a more personal interview with less corporate speak.

Although I think he's getting a bit ahead of himself in regard to 365 day (or therebouts) opening within 5 years! :p

:)
 
Good article.

I totally agree that the work done on Hex (despite it being closed for 12 months) has brought some of the magic back into the ride, and I definitely love the addition to the music around the resort. Little things like that make so much difference to the experience when visiting.

Interesting to hear about them looking to upgrade the monorail. This is so needed and essential for people to get to an from the park entrances. As for Duel, yes, a refurb is badly, badly needed. Should it stay as Duel.... not sure. I dont know if the Haunted House would work anymore, guests want something more than just sitting in a seat for 5 minutes looking at things. Turning it into some sort of 4D haunted attraction might be the answer. Though financial considerations may hinder this.

Im not sold on the 365 opening either. They cant manage it now, and I doubt it would prove to be profitable as the park would be dead in the winter what with the great British weather, UNLESS - they sell it as a package at a very good price - i.e. Theme park, hotel, waterpark etc for £99 for a night sorta thing. Also, as already mentioned, it would be limited rides, some unable to operate in the cold weather, some needing maintenance etc so it would have to be a good deal to attract the punters.

I do hope Wayne continues with the TLC updates however. While some I feel have been a possible cover for closures due to cost saving, others have been genuine welcome improvements and it has been interesting to see and read about.
 
I don't think 365 opening is as mad an idea as it sounds. I know they can barely operate the park during peak season, but then for hotel guests the park already operates small parts most of the year round.

It's obvious from the companies massive expansion of accommodation that that is where the money is. They're quite open to investors that the attractions are more and more becoming a draw for profitable accommodation stays. So the park could run a Christmas event from fireworks to new years with Cbeebies, Spinball, X Sector and CCL whilst the rest of the park is in winter maintenance. Then after Christmas run a themed event with Cbeebies, Mutiny Bay, RMT, Duel and Forbidden Valley until full open season.

Rides would be on low capacity with minimum staffing requirements, only open 2 food and bev outlets, open up the gardens and no need for monorail or Skyride. Could charge half main season price for day tickets and you'd be able to fill up the accommodation quicker for a more premium price where the park entry is included.
 
300 days a year sounds more sensible in the UK; but they really need to open until 8pm minimum in the summer, with Friday/Saturdays more like 11pm in July/August.
The current hours mean nobody can decide to visit the park on the day, as it isn't worth the entrance fee unless you set off early to arrive mid morning.
Clearly, more hours mean more costs... but it also means more car park fees, drinks and meals (particularly evening meals) sales, merchadise etc.
 
To be honest, if even just the gardens were the only thing open in closed season for a small fee then I would pay to visit them. I recall many many years ago when staying in the hotels for NYE you could go into the theme park gardens and the hotels would hand you a small walking route to guide you around.

Walking around there and some areas of the park on New Years Day being the only 2 people in the park was very eerie indeed!
 
Cool insight.

I think the battle with a 365 day operating calendar is as much a cultural challenge as it is an operational one.

I'd have a hard time convincing my nearest and dearest that we should go for the day in January, particularly when there are so few (operating) indoor rides. We do different stuff in the winter, I wouldn't be in a hurry to go more often, I don't think.

It's certainly another opportunity to grow, if they can make the numbers work. There are some savings to be had with 365 operating as well, of course.
 
Last edited:
TheBolt said:
300 days a year sounds more sensible in the UK; but they really need to open until 8pm minimum in the summer, with Friday/Saturdays more like 11pm in July/August.
Click to expand...

I think 11pm is too late, and not fair on local residents who can hear the rides. To be honest with you, it surprised me once how I could hear Nemesis whizzing around from a B&B in the village quite some distance from the park. 8pm however would be a step in the right direction!
 
Glad you liked the interview folks :) Wondered why my blog was getting spikes in traffic from here!

What was clear from the interview was the passion he had from making the park better, and it certainly felt like he had the drive to get stuff done. I rode Duel at the weekend, and christ, it was SO bad - some of the scenes had all the mechanisms lit up for all to see. I *really* hope Wayne gets his wish and gets the chance to improve it for next season. With a fellow park geek overseeing ride TLC, hopefully it will be a much better experience!

K
 
From experience, enthusiasts often don't actually have the best judgement for the wider picture, but because they're enthusiastic or passionate they think they do. Especially on a project like this where the general impression enthusiasts seem to have about Duel/Haunted House is quite a DIY or sentimental one, when the ride was really originally designed to avoid those things.

Not judging Wayne Burton though, never met him, and I'm sure he knows the kind of thing I'm on about anyway if he's had the experience. Just thought I'd add that though.
 
Last edited:
Interesting read I thought the TLC program was well spread out this year. It would be nice to see the Nemesis monster paint completed this year. The side they started first had already faded pretty drastically and already could do with a touch up.

I really enjoyed following the updates and its nice to see The Towers have someone left like Wayne with true passion for the place. Looks forward to following the updates again this closed season.
 
11pm? Are you mad? 9pm is probably the latest they could do without complaints and tbh I doubt they'd open after 8 as it would be deserted. However with later opening they need to potentially invest in a transport upgrade inside and outside Resort
 
11pm would be too late for the surrounding areas surely with noise - I would say doors closed at 8 with areas like Cbeebies land closing at 6/7
 
Who in their right mind would even want to stay on park until 11pm anyway? You would be bored out of your mind!

I'd like to see them move towards 7pm openings in the summer, I think for now that is about right. Food offerings need significant improvement to go any later than that on a regular basis.

:)
 
If the closed rides where reopened/replaced, full opening-

Off peak days full opening 10:30-18:00

Summer 10:00 - 19:00

Summer peak days 10:00 - 20:00.

Towers Street, Towers Street restaurant, coffee, the towers, gardens and ert 1 hour before ride opening. Towers Street and it's food outlets and trading open 1 hour after park close.
 
Remember when they did the later evenings in 2002, or maybe it was 2003? Air was fairly new. They did a 7pm or 8pm ride close, there was a later Webmaster show and I seem to recall some inflatables and stuff on the lawn?

I don't recall it being very busy but I remember a long queue for Air because it wasn't running particularly reliably at the time.

How some things change.
 
I can remember spending whole summer days at Chessington, 'til 21:00 in the 90's. Of course, back then Chessington actually had enough stuff to fill your whole day with...
 
Rick said:
How some things change.
Click to expand...
But only when you yourself were there to remember how things were different?? :p

Alton Towers has changed a whole lot in many ways in even the last 10 years. The 'product' you buy when you get a ticket is pretty different now, for an average family.

Having not needed to pay for a theme park visit for quite some time, I was a bit stunned to see how much it cost me for a visit to Alton Towers with friends for such an early closing time. I'd read it a lot on teh forumz but in ditching my enthusiast hat, it did bring it home.

My natural reaction is "oh well we'll go earlier in the hotel" - is this obviously what they are encouraging as a symptom of early closes. More money made in the hotels, more money saved on park operations?
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top