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Wicker Man - General Discussion - Part Two
- Thread starter Craig
- Start date
bluesonichd
TS Member
there are plenty of other fantabulous rides for you to enjoy tho if it doesn't openI'm due to go down on Friday so that tweet has got me thinking, do I go and then find out it closed the whole day ? or do I leave it and check ride times and feel like throwing my phone when it shows as open on friday???
Hmm so fine a decision to make
I'm due to go down on Friday so that tweet has got me thinking, do I go and then find out it closed the whole day ? or do I leave it and check ride times and feel like throwing my phone when it shows as open on friday???
Hmm so fine a decision to make
I'm in the same predicament. They said it was unlikely to open Tuesday just gone
If it don't open, I'll still have a great day at the park as everyone will be queuing for the Wickerman and the rest of the park will be walk-on's. If it don't open, I'll just have a great excuse to visit the park again next week We just need more transparency from the Towers as over the past few years, they are like the boy crying wolf, you just can't trust anything that they say now
Matt.GC
TS Member
I was on park yesterday using my last few weeks of my 2017 MAP and managed to get the second from last Wicker Man train of the day.
I must concede, this is the most impressively themed attraction at the park since Oblivion. It just feels - finished. In stark contrast to the frantic black marker pen strokes from the accountants that dogged the likes of Air, Thirteen and The Smiler during their development - Wicker Man strikes me as ride where most of the conception made it through to the end product.
The entrance plaza is excellent and has superb views of the ride and structure. The whole area, including the light touch retheme of the Welcom - Inn blends in to Mutiny Bay area quite well actually, this isn't an Ug land painted brown and renamed scenario which I feared this "Alton Harbour" idea would have been. I love the torches and the ride entrance too and the whole area has plenty for non riders to feast their eyes upon in true Wardley-esque design style.
The queue line is pretty decent and it reminds me a little bit of the original Nemesis queue line as it snakes around the pit. The cattle pen at the beginning of it looks a bit boring but I doubt you'll ever wait in that after this season outside of peak times. We queued for 65 mins and it wasn't too bad an experience. At the top of the pit it has the best views of the ride and its a joy to watch train after train go round. You really feel like you're immersed within a completely new area. The rock work and little details in there are also fantastic. The Fasttrack queue looks a bit miserable in comparison and I think it's usage would actually take away from the overall experience.
The pre show and baggage hold rooms look excellent also. The pre show itself is fine, simple, artistic and won't annoy you on repeat visits. It all reminds me of a shortened version of the pre chamber Hex. As you enter the queue line the whole experience does a great job of Immersing you deeper and deeper.
The station - stunning. Best inside of a station at Towers.
As for the ride experience, I won't give a pointless blow by blow account but every detail of the experience has been thought of from the section pre lift hill to the break run right into the station again. It's just so complete, everything has been thought of. The ride is fun, fast, vicious in places (in a good way) and thrilling. It is still short, but the completeness of it all managed to off set this somewhat, its not Swarm short in that it let's you feel short changed. As with most Towers coasters, if you put this on a flat piece of concrete it wouldn't be any thing special as we could see from the plans but I think to look at it as just a coaster would be like looking at Hex as just a Vekoma Mad house.
Even the shop is superb and fantastically themed. Massive queue of suckers handing over fist fulls of notes yesterday and it was clearly well received by those jumping around with joy outside the shop exit.
My only criticisms? The LED screens inside the structure look superb from the queue line and having a pint in your hand at the Welcom-Inn and make the structure really look like it's burning, but up close they definitely need to be made more subtle as you can see the flat edges of the screens. Some of the queue line fences at times are rediculously high and make you feel penned in at points. The KC pathway is fine with the back of the station building looking OK and new planting has taken place but the maintenance gate looks awful and ruins the bottom end of the path and it looks like the immersion of the final turn of the rapids is well and truly ruined. Then you having boring corner, which isn't as bad as it looks but is definitely out of sync with the rest of the ride.
Overall this truly is a wold class experience, with world class theming even if it isn't a world class coaster (but still good). For the moment you're queueing, riding and looking at the thing, you feel like you're in a a world class theme park again, it feels like the 90's again. Incredible. That makes the state of the rest of the park feel even more jarring as Towers as a package this season felt worse yesterday than its ever been before this gem opened.
I must concede, this is the most impressively themed attraction at the park since Oblivion. It just feels - finished. In stark contrast to the frantic black marker pen strokes from the accountants that dogged the likes of Air, Thirteen and The Smiler during their development - Wicker Man strikes me as ride where most of the conception made it through to the end product.
The entrance plaza is excellent and has superb views of the ride and structure. The whole area, including the light touch retheme of the Welcom - Inn blends in to Mutiny Bay area quite well actually, this isn't an Ug land painted brown and renamed scenario which I feared this "Alton Harbour" idea would have been. I love the torches and the ride entrance too and the whole area has plenty for non riders to feast their eyes upon in true Wardley-esque design style.
The queue line is pretty decent and it reminds me a little bit of the original Nemesis queue line as it snakes around the pit. The cattle pen at the beginning of it looks a bit boring but I doubt you'll ever wait in that after this season outside of peak times. We queued for 65 mins and it wasn't too bad an experience. At the top of the pit it has the best views of the ride and its a joy to watch train after train go round. You really feel like you're immersed within a completely new area. The rock work and little details in there are also fantastic. The Fasttrack queue looks a bit miserable in comparison and I think it's usage would actually take away from the overall experience.
The pre show and baggage hold rooms look excellent also. The pre show itself is fine, simple, artistic and won't annoy you on repeat visits. It all reminds me of a shortened version of the pre chamber Hex. As you enter the queue line the whole experience does a great job of Immersing you deeper and deeper.
The station - stunning. Best inside of a station at Towers.
As for the ride experience, I won't give a pointless blow by blow account but every detail of the experience has been thought of from the section pre lift hill to the break run right into the station again. It's just so complete, everything has been thought of. The ride is fun, fast, vicious in places (in a good way) and thrilling. It is still short, but the completeness of it all managed to off set this somewhat, its not Swarm short in that it let's you feel short changed. As with most Towers coasters, if you put this on a flat piece of concrete it wouldn't be any thing special as we could see from the plans but I think to look at it as just a coaster would be like looking at Hex as just a Vekoma Mad house.
Even the shop is superb and fantastically themed. Massive queue of suckers handing over fist fulls of notes yesterday and it was clearly well received by those jumping around with joy outside the shop exit.
My only criticisms? The LED screens inside the structure look superb from the queue line and having a pint in your hand at the Welcom-Inn and make the structure really look like it's burning, but up close they definitely need to be made more subtle as you can see the flat edges of the screens. Some of the queue line fences at times are rediculously high and make you feel penned in at points. The KC pathway is fine with the back of the station building looking OK and new planting has taken place but the maintenance gate looks awful and ruins the bottom end of the path and it looks like the immersion of the final turn of the rapids is well and truly ruined. Then you having boring corner, which isn't as bad as it looks but is definitely out of sync with the rest of the ride.
Overall this truly is a wold class experience, with world class theming even if it isn't a world class coaster (but still good). For the moment you're queueing, riding and looking at the thing, you feel like you're in a a world class theme park again, it feels like the 90's again. Incredible. That makes the state of the rest of the park feel even more jarring as Towers as a package this season felt worse yesterday than its ever been before this gem opened.
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Well thats my trip cancelled on Friday. I am not wasting a days holiday and my only visit to Towers this year on the chance that they may or may not bother opening up the basket for a few hours in the afternoon. The ride should be open from park opening, the weather will be good enough to run it, so not sure why they wont. But its a chance that I am not going to take.
They have since been saying that Wicker Man may sparodically open on Thursday and Friday, but will officially open on Saturday.
I would expect it to soft open in the afternoons again.
Rob’s post is a bit more encouraging but it’s strange the tweet disappeared.
Don’t blame you not taking the risk though as Towers have been a bit inconsistent with info recently.
Tuggerz
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Man Demz
Technically you have no right to access any of the attractions according to the T&C's
Alton Towers (https://www.altontowers.com/terms-and-conditions/) said:
You may be upset that you can't ride the Wickerman, but they have now stated that the "Official" opening is on Saturday, so you shouldn't be surprised if it's unavailable any day before then.
Graeme
TS Member
No technically i don't and I won't be. This sums up Towers attitude quite well. "you don't have a right"
I was told about the soft openings before my planned visit last Monday, called the call centre, they knew nothing of it and said it would be opening, weather permitting.
So, how do people know about "soft openings" yet the park didn't communicate this to guests already booked?
Contempt.
Oh and I got a full refund and didn't bother going and won't be either,
I was told about the soft openings before my planned visit last Monday, called the call centre, they knew nothing of it and said it would be opening, weather permitting.
So, how do people know about "soft openings" yet the park didn't communicate this to guests already booked?
Contempt.
Oh and I got a full refund and didn't bother going and won't be either,
Weather forecast for 10 degrees with slight 13 mph wind and they cannot say if a ride will be open or not. If this is purely for the official opening I will be well cheesed off. I mean Nemesis was open properly for the full week before it opened offically the weekend later, so whats the difference now. Unbelievable.
Customer Service hasn’t been great at Towers the past week in regards to information.
Tuggerz
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Man Demz
Having been blacklisted from working for the company on numerous occasions, I can assure you, I'm not "blinded" by the lack of magic the parks have suffered.
I'm simply stating that you don't have the right to get on any attraction in the park, you have the right to complain however, so go ahead, but it won't change the fact that Wickerman isn't guaranteed to open.
I'm not saying it won't but Merlin can at any point say no to opening the ride if they deem it necessary for whatever reason.
Plastic Person
TS Member
I have no idea why they wouldn't open it tomorrow and Friday if they can. I know it's frustrating that they're being so vague, but they're also just watching their backs.