Alton Towers Discussion Thread

[rctneil]

That would work really well. Retheming Sonic Spinball to Angry Birds would be really neat. And a dodgems ride or other Angry Birds themed attraction where Beastie was along with an Angry Birds childrens play area would fit in really nicely. That then gives Alton 3 main kiddie aimed areas: CBeebies Land, Angry Birds Land and Cloud Cuckoo Land.

 

It would finally distinguish each area as it's own rather than being a mashup of Old MacDonald's Farmyard, Adventure Land and Storybook Land.

[coasterfreak101]

Spinball would definitely work well with an Angry Birds theme, and I could totally see Merlin bringing that over. Here's to hoping that whatever retheme does come with the expired license involves a repaint - even a new color scheme would be pretty great.

[AstroDan]

From the TowersStreet Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TowersStreet

 

Breaking News: Submission to leave Alton Towers.

 

Looks like the park are removing the Chance Double Inverter then. One of the most painful rides in the UK, so it's no loss...! Hasn't run both arms properly for years either!

 

[rctneil]

Submission not reopening does not surprise me in the slightest. It has sounded like it has been falling to pieces for many years, as said above, the far side has not operated for quite some time. From what I have heard, ops running the ride have always hated it and it is 100% ready to go.

 

I'm not quite sure what could replace it as the area it's in is not huge. But it is good news that it's very likely Alton will get a new flat ride and I think the park really needs one.

[RollerCoasterSmi]

A very small drop tower like Space Vertigo at Gardaland would be quite cool...

[Brassinthegrass]

I don't think they would put something in its place as boring as a short top tower...

 

then again, a drop tower that slips you upside down and drops you head first.. that could be interesting... since its so short, you really won't get the high negative G's...

 

Let the Dreamers dream.

[SharkTums]

Chance inverters are some of the most painful rides out there. I don't think I've ridden one in close to 10 years because of the pain! Sounds like a great removal for the park!

[cfc]

Chance inverters are some of the most painful rides out there. I don't think I've ridden one in close to 10 years because of the pain! Sounds like a great removal for the park!

 

They should use this quote in their press release.

[SharkTums]

^It did read a little harsh huh? But it's the truth!

[cfc]

^Harsh? Hardly! "Great removal for the park" puts a great, upbeat spin on the announcement.

[Garet]

I don't think they would put something in its place as boring as a short top tower...

 

I've heard a lot of people singing the praises of smaller ARM towers over some of the bigger drop rides out there. I really didn't like Submission but I do hope they get some more flats to replace it. Personally I wish they'd bring Energizer back to that area. I loved it when I rode it in x-sector, although when they moved it to Ug-Land did they change it to a tamer cycle because whenever I re-rode it, it didn't seem to be as intense.

[jedimaster1227]

This is one of those few times when I think most people here would be okay with the ride being replaced with a planter like Windseeker at Knott's or Maliboomer at DCA.

[simon8899]

I generally dislike most drop towers as its only: Slow ascent, some view, drop. So boring! And compared to this you have quite long waits.

 

The only drop rides I do are Disney's Tower of Terror, but those aren't really droprides. They have a cool theming, a darkride, and an elevator style ride system that gives you cool pops of air while your whole body hangs only by a seatbelt.

 

I hope they add another inversion ride - some rides from Mondial, KMG or Technical Park come to mind.

[rctneil]

All the Chance Inverters I have ridden have been extremely painful and a lot of them have just been sat there not operating so I do expect them to close one by one.

 

I can't see Alton getting a drop tower as they will want something to market and I think they might have run out of ways to market rides that drop:

 

- Oblivion, Worlds First Vertical Drop Roller Coaster

- Thirteen, Worlds First Vertically Dropping Roller Coaster

- Nemesis Sub Terra, (Is 4 drop towers at it's core)

 

But knowing Merlin they would find a way!

[gerstlaueringvar]

Maybe they will build their version of Falcon's Fury that loads at the top and drop 300ft underground?

[Garet]

All the Chance Inverters I have ridden have been extremely painful and a lot of them have just been sat there not operating so I do expect them to close one by one.

 

I can't see Alton getting a drop tower as they will want something to market and I think they might have run out of ways to market rides that drop:

 

- Oblivion, Worlds First Vertical Drop Roller Coaster

- Thirteen, Worlds First Vertically Dropping Roller Coaster

- Nemesis Sub Terra, (Is 4 drop towers at it's core)

 

But knowing Merlin they would find a way!

 

 

- Submitting, World's first drop tower without a drop.

 

Although sitting still would probably be more fun than Submission.

[StealthFan]

Im surprised the ride lasted as long as it did to be honest. Heres to another HB leisure stall thats im sure will be put there for the season!

 

-Craig

[jray21]

I don't remember riding. If it's that painful, I'm sure I would of remembered. I won't be missing it!

[coasterbill]

Chance inverters are some of the most painful rides out there. I don't think I've ridden one in close to 10 years because of the pain! Sounds like a great removal for the park!

 

I agree 100%. They're horrible rides.

[snoflake15]

They could replace it with a hole in the ground and it would be an improvement!

[MarkLHomme]

Won't miss this ride at all. It was painful to ride and I always lost a load of change when upside down! I think we can manage without a replacement for a while although the park definitely needs more flats. Log flume needs some attention first.

[simon8899]

While looking into my UK trip this May I found out - that while no longer advertised on the Alton Towers website - First Bus runs the daily bus service Stoke-On-Trent Rail <-> Alton Towers again from April 18th to September 7th.

 

[RyanTPM]

Went to Alton today, not too many people there because of terrible rain, and therefore we got a lot more rides.

I managed to get 5 rides on The Smiler, Air and Nemesis. 3 on Thirteen and Oblivion. 2 on Rita. And one on Sonic Spinball and Sub Terra.

My thoughts on The Smiler is that it's a great coaster, just seems to get VERY rough on the final three inversions and the queue line is like a pond. I felt that Nemesis was extremely intense, and got even more so with every ride. A lot more intense than any other rides i'v had on it before. Air was a good ride, not sure how it compares to any other flyer but it was pretty tame. Rita and Oblivion we're both intense quality coasters and ran well in the rain. Thirteen was certainly a family coaster as there wasn't really any thrill to it aside from the indoor drop which i found okay. I really liked Sonic for some reason, i guess spinning coasters are good? In regards to Sub Terra, it was terrible. It took a long time for the crew and actors to get through the Pre-show and then apart from the theme there wasn't really anything to the drop itself.

But overall the day was very good and we was happy with the ride count.

[rcjp]

^It's a shame that such a new ride is rough. At least they could have used lap bars.

Nemesis really is among my top of "to do" rides.

[StealthFan]

Alton Towers hit the news yesterday and not for the right reasons! It seems one of the hotel duty managers was stabbed in the leg after finishing his shift at the hotel which was hosting a charity ball at the time.

 

A hotel manager was stabbed outside a charity ball at the Alton Towers Resort as he made his way to his car.

Witnesses said Ian Stevenson stumbled into a hotel foyer with blood pouring from two leg wounds.

He was taken to hospital as police descended on the complex, where an annual 'Pink Tie Ball' was being staged in a hotel function room to raise money for a cancer charity.

 

The duty manager is thought to have just finished a shift at the Alton Towers hotel - one of two hotels which make up the resort alongside a water park, spa and the main theme park.

Ball guests were prevented from leaving the site for more than an hour, as a police helicopter joined the search for the assailant.

 

Around 500 Girl Guides were camping in the theme park grounds when the incident began shortly before 11pm on Saturday. They were moved to a 'secure location' as a precaution.

Mr Stevenson, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been discharged from hospital and is recovering at home from his ordeal.

A relative yesterday said: 'Ian is doing OK but we don't want to say any more at the moment.'

 

One source who had been at the hotel on Saturday said: 'There was a lot of wealthy people at the ball - it is staged every year and attracts lots of local business people.

'Apparently the hotel manager came in to the hotel asking for help.

'He said he had been mugged and then stabbed. He was covered in blood and then he collapsed. He was bleeding badly from his leg.' The source said police arrived and prevented anyone from leaving the site for more than an hour.

News of Saturday night's incident spread to Twitter yesterday. A local teenager, who said she had friends who worked at the theme park, wrote: 'A duty Manager got stabbed in the leg and mugged.towers are kicking off cause(sic) everyone knows'.

 

Emma Carpenter, the mother of a Girl Guide from Herefordshire who had been camping overnight at the park, tweeted that parents had been notified of an 'incident' by text and said the girls had been 'put in a secure room'.

Volunteer fundraiser Ada Haywood, 62, who organised the Pink Tie Ball, said: 'We were in the function room where the ball was being staged when somebody came in and said police were preventing people from leaving because there had been an incident. The ball was still in full swing and I thought it could be one of our guests involved.

'I went outside to investigate but the staff were in control and told us not to worry.' She said staff from local company JCB were amongst the 340 guests. The event raised in the region of £20,000 for Cancer Research UK.

A spokesman for Alton Towers said: 'We can confirm that an Alton Towers Hotel team member was assaulted last night whilst returning to his car in the employee car park. He is now recovering at home. The police attended the incident and we continue to help them with their enquiries.'

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said the force was alerted at 10.50pm to a report of a male member of staff being assaulted in a car park.

A statement added: 'A search of the area involving a police dog and the force's helicopter took place. No arrests were made.

'The victim, in his 40s, received hospital treatment and is now at home.'

Anybody with information was asked to contact Staffordshire Police on 101, quoting incident number 871.

 

 

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2764632/Hotel-manager-stabbed-Alton-Towers-mugged-outside-charity-ball.html#ixzz3EATXmyKj

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Im glad to hear that the gentleman is doing alight but this is not something I expect to see on park grounds. I really hope they manage to find the guy who did this and wish the victim a speedy recovery.

 

-Craig