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Towers Loving Care

I find Toadstool odd. It only costs a small amount to run due to low staffing... I can only assume due to wear and tear over the year, it now needs an overhaul and, like Ripsaw, Black Hole and other rides before them, they cannot justify the cost outlay to bring it up to speed.
 
Concern:

Forget the quality, what about sheer numbers of individual rides? Not walk throughs/shows or peripheral stuff. Actual rides:

BLACKPOOL PLEASURE BEACH has 14 more...
DRAYTON MANOR? has 12 more...
PAULTONS PARK? has 8 more...
ADVENTURE ISLAND? has 6 more..
FLAMINGOLAND? has 4 more..
LIGHTWATER VALLEY? has 4 more...
LEGOLAND WINDSOR? has 3 more...

ALTON TOWERS? has 26 rides

THORPE PARK? has 1 less...
CHESSINGTON? has 2 less...
FANTASY ISLAND? has 3 less...
OAKWOOD? has 5 less...

In 1991, Alton had 33 rides.
 
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It doesn't look like good value for money really. It's really poor showing from Merlin charging the earth for less than cheaper competition.

The website look pretty tho ;)
 
Glad to see hex reopen :).

It's a shame that more rides are being closed due to 'TLC' and to be honest it's a pretty poor show that the majority of rides they closed last year for some 'TLC' are set to remain closed for at least the start of this year (if not all of it). If they carry on like this people will soon realise that TLC means we have closed a load of rides but don't want to say that so we can still charge you the same.

Ice age seems odd anyone know why it's been closed? They repainted all the fences outside it last year as part of TLC programme and this year closed the ride, just seems odd why spend the budget last their last year....
 
I wouldn't be surprised if the main entrance to CCL, next to the Burger Kitchen, is fenced off entirely leaving the only way in being via the arch opposite fountain square. I mean, that's where CCL's 3 open rides are all located so it's practical, plus it'll save you wading through a ghost town.
 
andeyhart said:
I wouldn't be surprised if the main entrance to CCL, next to the Burger Kitchen, is fenced off entirely leaving the only way in being via the arch opposite fountain square. I mean, that's where CCL's 3 open rides are all located so it's practical, plus it'll save you wading through a ghost town.
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Only issue is they'll need to sort out an disabled access route, as the only other route that way was over the footbridge by Driving School.
 
They'll have to reopen the archway regardless as it's the disabled entrance for Hex. Would be odd to have the other end of CCL accessible but all attractions mothballed.
 
I'm quite excited to get back on Hex as it's one of my favourite rides at the park

Also, probably means nothing but has anyone ever noticed that the park's description of the ride is a 'multimedia experience'. Did it say this already or is this something new?
 
AstroDan said:
I find Toadstool odd. It only costs a small amount to run due to low staffing... I can only assume due to wear and tear over the year, it now needs an overhaul and, like Ripsaw, Black Hole and other rides before them, they cannot justify the cost outlay to bring it up to speed.
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I am hoping they are relocating it by Spinball Whizzer ('cos Merlin listens to all my suggestions), as part of a masterplan to rebuild CCL from the ground up.

Tick...

Tock...

Well, that optimism soon disipated.
 
If Hex has received no significant refurb in the past 12 months then it will show this TLC malarky for what it really is.... it should be all singing all dancing and sparkly if its had TLC for the past year!
 
delta79 said:
Pete, If Hex reopens in the same shabby state it closed in. I think a lot of awkward question will be asked by many enthusiasts. Maybe even some anti towers news outlets may ask.
With whats happened in the last couple of years they can not afford to give ammunition to the media.
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AstroDan said:
I don't actually think Hex was too bad when it closed? It certainly wasn't on my radar compared to other hovels in the park like Dark Forest and the state of Nemesis... But it will (and is!) getting work, worry not.
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Come on, we're talking of the expectations of Pete B here.....I fear for Towers when he enters Hex's queueline
 
Don't worry I'm sure that after a whole year away, we can expect something along the lines of...

"Merlin Entertainments, Alton Towers Resort presents, The Chuckle Brothers's World's first, Hex VR experience, fully sponsored by Coca Cola".

My God, that's actually better than some of the stuff they've come up with! Nick, if you're reading this, I can start on Monday.

On a more serious note CCL is going to need a lot more imagination than last time they rethemed it. CATCF has potential, but the same applies. I think it will be SBNO for a long time thought :(

I can cut them some slack for genuine improvements, but I agree much of this stuff should be done closed season, and that the ride line up is getting smaller.

Compared to somewhere like BPB, AT trades on its amazing setting, but that doesn't mean they don't need both QUALITY and QUANTITY to justify the kind of prices they are charging.

Some posters have said that Merlin have given up on AT ever achieving it's former attendance and are downsizing the resort following the smiler incident.

Not so sure about this. The investments in accommodation continue, and they will never fill these without the thing that AT was in the first place (a huge and amazing theme park).

Oh and I'm still skeptical that SW8 is costing 15 million.

TLC is part genuine (Nemesis Refurb) and part smokscreen (long term ride closures that could be Refurbed closed season).
 
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I too didn't think Hex was that bad when I last rode it, certainly in a far better condition than the vast majority of the park. Has a full 18 months work of TLC taken place on Hex? I doubt it. Bus has/is there work taking place? Definitely. Who know just how noticeable it will be though.

And we all know that rides closed for TLC means 'closed for one year to save money but we will do some work on it at some point before it re-opens.'

:)
 
PuddoBearBoy said:
Interesting tweet from Alton Towers this morning regarding Nemesis Sub-Terra.

"@granterono1 We plan that it will re-open in the long term, however at present unfortunately we do not have a date."

This seems pretty telling that there are *some* intentions to reopen it, perhaps due to technical limitations.

https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/821319021735841792
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I think they are keeping NST and Toadstool as a hopeful for re-opening once guest visitors improve.
 
Altonadvocate1 said:
Some posters have said that Merlin have given up on AT ever achieving it's former attendance and are downsizing the resort following the smiler incident.

Not so sure about this. The investments in accommodation continue, and they will never fill these without the thing that AT was in the first place (a huge and amazing theme park).
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I'm pretty sure they're just building the hotels for Margin and managing the number of over night stays by restricting opening hours. In almost every other way, they are downsizing the resort.
 
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