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Wicker Man - General Discussion - Part Two

No.

I am confident that on 3 trains, the ride will reach 1,000 per hour.

There is no reason that I can see why it should not.
 
I got a sneaky ride in today by joining the queue at around 3:40. All I can say is wow, that was the first time I've come off a ride in the UK feeling thoroughly entertained. Every detail of the ride is near flawless (minus what I assume were teething problems, see spoiler tag). I think this ride may be competing for my Towers #1 for sure .

When I went through the pre show, the curtain being projected on to seemed like it wasn't properly in position, as the full video was not being displayed properly. Also, I assume the curtain is supposed to rise or move so that you can see the wicker man face when it lights up with fire? When I went through the curtain remained in place .It was still impressive though .
 
Benjsh said:
I only got one ride. Could have rejoined the queue after being first on but I didn't fancy another 2hr wait after already waiting 3hrs.

I just watched it for 10 mins talking to all the park Executives. They seemed very pleased with my own review of it.

That pin badge for first riders was a nice touch too. Not something I collect (love a good fridge magnet though) but I shall keep that one for sure.
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Snap the pin off and glue a magnet on the back, hey presto one very unique fridge magnet for your collection (it's what I do for my wife who is mad on fridge magnets but hates pin badges).
 
This Mirror article was amusing to read:

(Contains mild spoilers)

Alton Towers' Wicker Man review: we put the new rollercoaster to the test to see if it lives up to the hype
We tested Alton Towers' new rollercoaster Wicker Man as theme park season kicks off to see if it's worth the trip

As the Beast from the East raged down South, the Pest from the West swept across the North, bringing with it arctic temperatures and flurries of snow.

It may not have been the ideal weather to try the new Wicker Man ride at Alton Towers , but looking on the positive side the freezing cold was a little comforting when riding a rollercoaster that spews flames, despite essentially being made of wood.

The £16m addition to the theme park has been four years in the making and it's quite a sight to behold.

Taking 500,000 man hours to build and 7,500 tonnes of wood, it's an amazing feat of engineering.

It's also the first wooden roller coaster in the UK for more than 20 years; even the six-storey-tall Wicker Man effigy is wooden.

The effigy stands out as you approach the rollercoaster, mostly because fire flames behind it. It does seem like a strange concept. Why would you put fire and wood together? But it somehow works.

The queue winds under the tracks giving you a taste of what to come, and just before you board the 12-carriage car you enter a Wicker teepee style building.

As you're plunged into darkness, the Wicker Man's booming voice tells you you're about to be sacrificed. "What an honour it is," he says.

Despite the horror vibe the Wicker Man isn't based on the film which starred Christopher Lee - instead it harks back to the pagan rituals of Celtic times.

Folk tunes play over the speakers setting the tone before you shoot off hurtling around the corner.

Rattling into a wicker tunnel, you're rocked along at speed before plunging into the effigy. Jets of steam mist in front of you glowing red and orange as the lights cast shadows.

(Be wary of the mist on colder days - thanks to the the freezing cold temperatures it whipped into our faces, stunning us for a second.)

The verdict:
The Wicker Man is a great addition and a positive step for the theme park that's been trying to move forward since the Smiler crash.

Alton Towers director has said the ride's safety standards exceed the industry requirements and every effort has been made to check the track before it's opening.

The Wicker Man couldn't open on March 17 as planned, but it's done nothing to diminish the anticipation around it.

Wicker Man might not be as fast as some of the other roller coasters, but there's an exhilarating rush from being shaken up as you rattle around a track that's essentially wooden cocktail sticks. You'll find yourself sacrificing yourself to the Wicker Man again and again.
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Source: https://www.mirror.co.uk/travel/uk-ireland/alton-towers-wicker-man-review-12219948
 
"The verdict:
The Wicker Man is a great addition and a positive step for the theme park that's been trying to move forward since the Smiler crash."

I hate to be that person, but for christ's sake, can any of these articles stop using that as the description of this park?!

JC13 said:
Are there any effects in the maintenance shed?
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Yes
 
It should say this 'The Wicker Man is a great addition and a positive step for the theme park that's been trying to move forward since the Smiler crash, but can't because we write about it in every article along with the Daily Fail and others making it impossible for them to do so'.:rolleyes:
 
Benjsh said:
That pin badge for first riders was a nice touch too. Not something I collect (love a good fridge magnet though) but I shall keep that one for sure.
Click to expand...

IanSR said:
Snap the pin off and glue a magnet on the back, hey presto one very unique fridge magnet for your collection (it's what I do for my wife who is mad on fridge magnets but hates pin badges).
Click to expand...

Yay, other fridge magnet fans! I love a good ride / park fridge magnet. One of my faves is a Saw: The Ride magnet that doubles as a bottle opener. I felt I needed a souvenir afterwards to soften the blow of the 2 hour 10 minute queue for said ride. :mad:
 
Hi!

New here but just dropped in to ask...

1) what did queue times for the Wicker Man peak at today?
2) are AT doing that "parent queue share" thing of a few years back, and if so, so you think you can use it on this ride?

Thanks guys!
X
 
Thomas5 said:
Hi!

New here but just dropped in to ask...

1) what did queue times for the Wicker Man peak at today?
2) are AT doing that "parent queue share" thing of a few years back, and if so, so you think you can use it on this ride?

Thanks guys!
X
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The queue actually only peaked at 60ish minutes and I queued only 45 minutes.

All Merlin parks use a variation of the Parent Swap option, and Wickerman will be no different.
 
Tuggerz said:
The queue actually only peaked at 60ish minutes and I queued only 45 minutes.

All Merlin parks use a variation of the Parent Swap option, and Wickerman will be no different.
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That's fab - thanks for the reply. We're coming Sunday/Monday and I'm hoping that Monday morning will be our best bet for getting on this, but I'm not holding my breath...!!

The synergy of (a) a wooden rollercoaster with (b) wicker-man esque imagery (even if Lord Summerisle sadly doesn't feature) at (c) Alton Towers is possibly the best thing I've ever had the opportunity to experience, and I'm concerned that my life will essentially have no real purpose after this...! :hearteyes:

Until someone builds a Cannibal Holocaust dark ride of course - they could develop the old Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride in this direction
 
AstroDan said:
No.

I am confident that on 3 trains, the ride will reach 1,000 per hour.

There is no reason that I can see why it should not.
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Well B&M said Nemesis was 1200-1300/hr, but it easily makes 1450/hr with a good ride team on the platform and guests who are not totally dumb as to what to do with their bags / shoes. Never fails to amaze me how guests will wait in a queue for [however long] then only try to tighten up their 20-lace boots when they come to board the ride... like they had any chance of falling off anyway!
 
The wicker man itself looks quite good in daylight I think - it looks more authentically burning. While the real fire effects look good at night, the fake ones inside are exposed somewhat in darkness.
 
AstroDan said:
I am confident that on 3 trains, the ride will reach 1,000 per hour. There is no reason that I can see why it should not.
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I am still not sure what value three trains bring to this ride, I guess we'll wait and see. I guess it's down to what sort of dwell time is likely with the configuration and what is the release point - presumably they are using the lift as a block.
 
Rick said:
I am still not sure what value three trains bring to this ride, I guess we'll wait and see. I guess it's down to what sort of dwell time is likely with the configuration and what is the release point - presumably they are using the lift as a block.
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How many trains' worth of people are released into the pre-show for each cycle?
 
Plastic Person said:
How many trains' worth of people are released into the pre-show for each cycle?
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The planning documentation said the pre-show room would hold 'up to 50 people' which I presume is two train loads and up to two staff. Imagine it'll be pretty cosy with 50 in there!
 
Also final point on the ride.....there was a lot of talk about the restraints and fitting on the ride. I'm 6ft 4 and had no issues with the restraints at all. However there's not a lot of leg room at all. My feet were on an angle to fit in. Not the most comfortable of positions but not the worst. Anyone tall or with long legs like me might feel a tad squashed.

Didn't ruin it at all for me though.
 
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