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Your predictions - 2025 > 2030
- Thread starter MaxPower
- Start date
delta79
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Nemesis, Air
That is the only constant in this world of theme park enthusiasts
Dave
TS Founding Member
GooseOnTheLoose
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Ug Bugs
*Fantabulous.I know it’s fantastic isn’t it
flyingguitar
TS Member
I think the trend would be upwards if the current investment (and as a connection leadership) is maintained.
I think there is a contentious that this season hasn't been the best, but I think that a lot is past issues that needed to be dealt with.
on the contrary we have seen a large amount of long term investment into the park, things I don't think we would have seen in pervious years, for instance:
permanent lighting being installed at many rides and areas removing many generators from the parks
single rider queues coming back
sky ride returning, they could have just removed it, but they are doing work on it and trying to get it open next year
forbidden valley being transformed into a new themed area, with a new flat ride
new bins!
overall there have been many investments into the park to make it better and improve guest experience, whilst there are definitely improvements that could be made (I think we will still be complaining about armark until their contract is up) I think if these small improvements are made along with some larger investments (project horizon??) then the park would be on an upward trend, I just hope that the low turnout this year was mainly due to the poor weather as it may mean less investments
I think there is a contentious that this season hasn't been the best, but I think that a lot is past issues that needed to be dealt with.
on the contrary we have seen a large amount of long term investment into the park, things I don't think we would have seen in pervious years, for instance:
permanent lighting being installed at many rides and areas removing many generators from the parks
single rider queues coming back
sky ride returning, they could have just removed it, but they are doing work on it and trying to get it open next year
forbidden valley being transformed into a new themed area, with a new flat ride
new bins!
overall there have been many investments into the park to make it better and improve guest experience, whilst there are definitely improvements that could be made (I think we will still be complaining about armark until their contract is up) I think if these small improvements are made along with some larger investments (project horizon??) then the park would be on an upward trend, I just hope that the low turnout this year was mainly due to the poor weather as it may mean less investments
Jb85
TS Member
Two reasons for me it’s on a neither path
Staff cuts, poor food, rotting rides - no sign of that changing anytime soon.
Oh and horrendous queues.
Offset by new fresh investments - lighting, FV, events, actors on site, new ride(s) in the pipeline in Rip2 and Horizon (hmmm?)
It’s a mixed bag. What it says to me is opex is the problem. There is not enough money to run the park in the desired way. It’s clear good intentions are there so that may just swing the balance in my view of upward trend, but it’s 51% that way.
Staff cuts, poor food, rotting rides - no sign of that changing anytime soon.
Oh and horrendous queues.
Offset by new fresh investments - lighting, FV, events, actors on site, new ride(s) in the pipeline in Rip2 and Horizon (hmmm?)
It’s a mixed bag. What it says to me is opex is the problem. There is not enough money to run the park in the desired way. It’s clear good intentions are there so that may just swing the balance in my view of upward trend, but it’s 51% that way.
Sorry to bang the old drum again, but they couldn't "just" remove the skyride, alternative provision was needed under the Equality Act 2010.
The fact that the ride has been closed for disabled mobility assistance for two whole years is absolutely appalling for a "Champion of Accessibility".
The skyride returning is not a positive, it being closed for two whole seasons is a massive negative point.
Matt N
TS Member
- Favourite Ride
- Shambhala (PortAventura Park)
The Skyride has been discussed a lot, but I’m not sure that that viewpoint would necessarily hold up in court.
In Alton Towers’ T&Cs, they clearly state that they reserve the right to withhold any and all attractions as they see fit. The Skyride is an attraction, not a disabled access provision. It may be used in that manner by some, but it is not there to primarily serve the disabled; it is an attraction at the park, just like any other.
If the park did not have any alternative accessible routes, then this point may have legs in a court of law, but they do. They have plenty of step-free paths to places covered by the Skyride that a wheelchair user could easily access. Those are the “reasonable adjustment” for disabled access, not the Skyride.
Dave
TS Founding Member
You can bang the drum all you like, you are legally not correct as there are step free routes between each station. So please stop banging it as it has a huge hole in the drum and isn’t making any sound.
The fact it’s been closed for two years and the park haven’t been sued just proves that.
Thorpe posed us no mobility problems last week.
The distance between attractions at the Towers is the issue, not the state of the paths, has already caused problems for me this year, specifically because of the removal of a facility that had been provided for three decades...whatever the park consider it to be...that doesn't matter.
It was an aid to my mobility, simple fact.
The removal of the facility, apart from being inconsiderate to the less mobile, is probably on the edges of legality.
Nobody has tested it in court, but that doesn't mean it is legal, and, after two full years, and three closed seasons, it doesn't make Merlin look any less dodgy, and has probably assisted in the (alleged) declining attendance.
Of course, there is no drum, no skin, and no sound...
But I will keep raising the point on here, and with Merlin...and continue to challenge their blatant ableism...
Edit...sorry rob, will keep it in the correct two topics from now on.
I was responding to a point in the topic, I didn't raise it.
The distance between attractions at the Towers is the issue, not the state of the paths, has already caused problems for me this year, specifically because of the removal of a facility that had been provided for three decades...whatever the park consider it to be...that doesn't matter.
It was an aid to my mobility, simple fact.
The removal of the facility, apart from being inconsiderate to the less mobile, is probably on the edges of legality.
Nobody has tested it in court, but that doesn't mean it is legal, and, after two full years, and three closed seasons, it doesn't make Merlin look any less dodgy, and has probably assisted in the (alleged) declining attendance.
Of course, there is no drum, no skin, and no sound...
But I will keep raising the point on here, and with Merlin...and continue to challenge their blatant ableism...
Edit...sorry rob, will keep it in the correct two topics from now on.
I was responding to a point in the topic, I didn't raise it.
James
TS Founding Member
I think this year was the year to show where things are going, and unfortunately, it's more of the same: a shiny new ride alongside a park with rotting infrastructure and cuts everywhere.
This season started off very promising; however, that has dwindled quickly, and it's clear Alton Towers has little control over running the place and how it should be run, and it's more about damage control. I feel really sorry for Bianca; much like her predecessors, there are good intentions but no funds to do anything decent. The Skyride refurb is promising, and hopefully, there can be a careful balance to improve more things like that in future, but it seems to come at the cost of cuts elsewhere.
Predictions for the future? More or less the same we've seen for a while now: new rides and no investment elsewhere. The only thing I hope happens is some plan for the future. Currently, the park appears to aim to exist every year. You would think the place is on its knees, struggling to survive (spoiler: it's not, Merlin CBA to invest).
Just for fun:
2025: Ripsaw Replacement
2026: Dungeons Retheme
2027: Project Horizon
2028: WODW Retheme, Monorail removed
2029: X-Sector refresh, new flat ride
2030: Aramark announce renewed contract with Merlin for next 10 years, burgers now contain 1% meat and 99% regret
This season started off very promising; however, that has dwindled quickly, and it's clear Alton Towers has little control over running the place and how it should be run, and it's more about damage control. I feel really sorry for Bianca; much like her predecessors, there are good intentions but no funds to do anything decent. The Skyride refurb is promising, and hopefully, there can be a careful balance to improve more things like that in future, but it seems to come at the cost of cuts elsewhere.
Predictions for the future? More or less the same we've seen for a while now: new rides and no investment elsewhere. The only thing I hope happens is some plan for the future. Currently, the park appears to aim to exist every year. You would think the place is on its knees, struggling to survive (spoiler: it's not, Merlin CBA to invest).
Just for fun:
2025: Ripsaw Replacement
2026: Dungeons Retheme
2027: Project Horizon
2028: WODW Retheme, Monorail removed
2029: X-Sector refresh, new flat ride
2030: Aramark announce renewed contract with Merlin for next 10 years, burgers now contain 1% meat and 99% regret
PhalanaxOperativeA1127
TS Member
Difficult one to predict; you could argue that half the park needs investment now, and yet you could easily spend the next 5/6 seasons just trying to stand still.
The likes of Galactica, Walliams World, Dungeons, Dark Forest & X Sector are crying out for investment now. Yet realistically, each one is going to be done per season. So let's say that's 5 seasons worth of investment.
And then you factor in Project Horizon (a 6th season) and without levels of investment we've never seen before, it's difficult to see when we're going to get back to a fully top-tier, high quality park across the board this side of 2030.
(Okay, you could factor in flat rides to some of the area refreshes, but even then, it's just trying to restore the park to where it used to be)
And by 2030, the likes of the Rapids & cbeebies will probably need investment and the cycle will keep continuing.
Of course, in any park, there's always going to be areas that aren't quite up to the standard of the rest of the park, its only natural - but certainly not on the scale the areas listed above often are and what we're seeing right now.
It feels like the park are trying to turn a container ship around sometimes, sadly.
Theres a lot of invesment needed just to stand still as a park, and that's without thinking about investment into the likes of food and operations (although, I suspect that will all come from different budgets anyway)
The likes of Galactica, Walliams World, Dungeons, Dark Forest & X Sector are crying out for investment now. Yet realistically, each one is going to be done per season. So let's say that's 5 seasons worth of investment.
And then you factor in Project Horizon (a 6th season) and without levels of investment we've never seen before, it's difficult to see when we're going to get back to a fully top-tier, high quality park across the board this side of 2030.
(Okay, you could factor in flat rides to some of the area refreshes, but even then, it's just trying to restore the park to where it used to be)
And by 2030, the likes of the Rapids & cbeebies will probably need investment and the cycle will keep continuing.
Of course, in any park, there's always going to be areas that aren't quite up to the standard of the rest of the park, its only natural - but certainly not on the scale the areas listed above often are and what we're seeing right now.
It feels like the park are trying to turn a container ship around sometimes, sadly.
Theres a lot of invesment needed just to stand still as a park, and that's without thinking about investment into the likes of food and operations (although, I suspect that will all come from different budgets anyway)
flyingguitar
TS Member
Intresting take, I think that TWODW, the dungeons and project horizen could be rolled into a season or 2 as a whole area refresh (license for David walliam runs out, retheme the area to one theme) similar to FV, assuming they were all the same theme (if they weren't not adding a new land for horizon)
I do agree that there are many improvements that need to be made, but I am not sure many of these are exclusivly to one season, for instance X sector they have been making some of these improvments, for instance repainting the smiler over the summer and I could see them doing a larger project and quietly renovate a land