Divv3k Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) Another October, another Scarefest at Alton Towers... Yet again I really enjoyed visiting this Halloween event with the Brit Crew. It certainly isn't on par with any of the big US parks but the stuff they do is pretty good considering the more family-oriented clientele that visit the park. The big change for this year's event is that the two upcharge mazes have been moved inside the park. They used to be out next to the resort hotels but now they take up residence inside the Black Hole tent which has lay dormant for years. This is a good move in that you can still be in the park after you've done the mazes letting you get in more night rides. It also means that they're more visible to guests which I'm guessing means visitor numbers are up. The one drawback is that a lot of the creepiness that you got from the mazes being on in the middle of some field next to the hotel is lost. A minor drawback really seeing as it makes things better for the rest of your visit. The mazes themselves are largely the same as last year. Being in the new location didn't mean much change to the content and apart from a few minor changes the experiences were very similar to years past. Of course, the Terror of the Towers which has always been inside the park, inside the towers themselves is there too and it's still one of my favourite mazes in the world. I don't want to talk this maze up like "Haunted Hospital" was but still it's really good. Being in the Towers is what really makes it in my view. The disappointment for me this year was that Duel just ran in it's usual year round gun blasting mode. Usually the ride reverts to it's old dark ride style during Scarefest and adds live actors. Usually this is one of my favourite parts of Scarefest if for no other reason than you get to see Scottish Steven crap himself. Repeatedly. Hopefully this will get brought back in the future! Oh yeah, there's a new "Scare Zone" this year but really a bit of path that you have to queue to walk through isn't quite a scare zone in my book. All in all we had a great day, it was good having both Andrews over from across the pond for this. It really is the best time to visit Alton Towers, especially since you get to ride such classics as Nemesis in the dark! In what’s now absolutelya Halloween tradition for the Brit Crew, we’re at Scarefest at Alton Towers! Scarefest Map! It seems that gardens get smaller every time I look at an updated Alton Towers map. Ooh, the Dark Forest vines are turning blue! OMG, IT'S TPDAVE!!! Scottish Steven isn't falling for "5 Pumpkins of Fun" ths year! Andrew's not quite sure what to make of a maze in the UK which is actually inside a haunted castle! Mike's beginning to feel apprehensive about Terror of the Towers but unlike Steven he made it through. Just. In order to stop the Sky Ride from going up in flames you have to wave your hands continuously throughout the trip. OMG, a coaster photo! OMG, a better coaster photo! It's been a long time since I saw a Nemesis shirt for sale at Alton Towers! Steven was rather taken with this fetching girlie top. I guess the Brit Crew will have to drop by next year to see what this is. Jeez, Anth. That's honkin'. Ever since McDonald's left Alton Towers there's only one place to have lunch here - Pizza & Pasta buffet! Such great value. I was pleased to see this in Legoland Florida too! I think that guy's got a boner. Happiest rapids in the world! Why? Ask Mike! Shows you how out of touch I am in park enws lately - I was totally shocked to see Beastie all boarded up! But who needs Beastie when you have Squirrel Nutty! Most people come to Alton Towers for Nemesis but for Andrew it's all about Squirrel Nutty! The boiler house has a bit of a futuristic looking entrance this year! The maze itself seemed quite similar to last year and while I enjoyed it, I kind of hope this is the next maze to get changed. Carnival of Screams was still good fun. Maybe not quite as creepy as last year since it's not in a deserted dark field anymore but it's still my favourite of the upcharge mazes. To get into the big tent you have to get through the wee tent first. It's called a tentrance. Yay, coaster photo! I forget to take these sometimes. Oblivion's drop managed to get us wetter than the rapids this year! Well, except for Canadian Andrew. Beware the bookcase!!! Lines weren't quite as short as they had been at our previous Scarefest visits, but that's probably more to do with the date we visited. It's Spinball. There you go. Yay, we found Southern Steve! Another stacker, another epic fail by Steven. The Zombie scare zone was very similar to Thorpe's offering from last year - a queue to walk through an area with some scare actors. Essentially, Path: The Ride. But still, I always prefer my paths to be zombie infested. Even if you don't like the halloween stuff, Scarefest is still well worth visiting since you get to ride stuff like Nemesis at night! Here's our group of heroes for today. Not a boob in sight! (Or nine boobs in total, depends how you look at it) We had a great day at Alton Towers, even if the park was a bit busier than we're used to. If Scottish Steven can have a good time at Scarefest then I guess anyone can! Thanks for reading! Edited October 25, 2011 by Divv3k Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robinschroder Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 It was a great mini-weekend and brilliant to see you all! I agree that it is absolutely the best time of year to visit Alton Towers! It was my first Scarefest - Nemesis in the day is amazing... but Nemesis in the dark at night is even better! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cobra_roll06 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 What a great weekend! Nemesis night rides are just bliss! Great report David! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jray21 Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Awesome report! I really need to visit Alton Towers someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedSpecial Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Off to Alton Towers for two days of Halloween fun tomorrow - love terror of the towers - very unique setting. Hoping the UK weather doesn't put a downer on the trip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazekiddd Posted October 25, 2011 Share Posted October 25, 2011 Awesome photos! I can't wait to check out this park next year! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Scottish - your hair looks much better. Then again it couldn't really look worse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cfc Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Given Scottish Steve's fear of dark rides, I'm surprised he even ventures out during the month of October. Alton Towers has the perfect setting for a Halloween event--how can you top a bona fide "haunted" castle? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoCo Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Man, this report made me miss Alton a ton. Been so many years... And yeah, a haunt in a real castle? Do not have; want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrownStreak Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Ummm.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larrygator Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 ^Looks like 5 pumpkins of fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastercub Posted October 26, 2011 Share Posted October 26, 2011 Glad you had fun guys. I went on opening weekend and LOVED "Carnival of Screams", not scary just creepy and odd and the actors where brilliant at misdirection ! Squirrel nutty FTW !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thrillerman1 Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Divv, this update is officially awesome and SCAREadise approved even without any Doritos. I really need to get back to Alton Towers after so many years. Thanks for the photos and TR, and I'm glad that Scottish (along with the rest of the Brit Crew members present) somehow managed to survive! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MidtownCoaster Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Looks like you had a good time! Thanks for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milndog Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 Looks like so much fun, Nemesis in the dark is just brilliant! Thanks for trip report, enjoyed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKI Jizzman Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 What's Andrew doing over in the UK? haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Swimace Posted October 27, 2011 Share Posted October 27, 2011 ^Halloween in Orlando was just not cutting it this year! Awesome report Divv! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPDave Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 I like boner comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gisco Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 Alton is one of my favorite parks. The atmosphere and the castle would make for a great halloween haunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheStig Posted October 28, 2011 Share Posted October 28, 2011 ^Halloween in Orlando was just not cutting it this year! Awesome report Divv! Agreed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeemerBoy Posted October 31, 2011 Share Posted October 31, 2011 Loved the report, Divv! It looks like Alton does a pretty good job with the event. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark! Posted November 5, 2011 Share Posted November 5, 2011 Nice little trip report there! I personally found that Terror of the Towers was quite good, and Carnival was more "fun" than scary. The Boiler House was quite disappointing in my opinion though... Also, you can see the pile of leaves that I swept that morning to the left of TP Dave! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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