26th July 2025: Alton Towers Day 1

Hi guys. Today was an exciting day; it was the first day of my annual Alton Towers visit for 2025! After a rather light season so far, comprised mainly of my MSc course aside from two visits to Blackpool and Paultons Park, I was looking forward to returning to some more familiar turf and getting on some of my favourite rides in the UK, as well as checking out the new for 2025 addition: Toxicator! As an added bonus, I also have two days on park and an overnight stay in the Alton Towers Hotel, so I’m going back in tomorrow as well!

We left our home in Gloucestershire at around 7:30am and arrived on site at Alton Towers a little after 10am. The satnav went a little bit rogue, taking us off the M6 at Cannock and sending us through Cannock, Rugeley and many other previously unseen bits of rural Staffordshire, but the journey was mostly seamless aside from a little bit of queueing around JCB due to the LIV Golf event (which we turned the satnav on specifically to avoid, but it unfortunately failed us in this endeavour!). After we parked up, I headed on in to the park ahead of my parents and passed the threshold at the hotel entrance at around 10:15am:

After entering the park, I headed to my first ride…

Galactica

Galactica was on an advertised 5 minute queue time, so I thought I’d be foolish not to take a ride on there seeing as I was right next to it! The queue time board stayed pretty true to its word, with the queue only taking around 10 minutes; you can never complain about that! So, how was the ride? Well, I’m not normally the biggest fan of Galactica, but I have to say that it was perfectly enjoyable today! I was sat in row 4, and there was some nice speed and fun twisty bits! Perhaps controversially, I do find Galactica more enjoyable than the larger B&M flying coaster I’ve ridden, Manta, because I don’t like the pretzel loop on Manta and Galactica is much more tolerable in terms of forces. I still don’t find the position the most comfortable, and would never describe it as a favourite of mine, but it was better than I’d remembered and it rode perfectly pleasantly today:

After Galactica, I met up with my dad, and we headed to ride the other coaster in the area…

Nemesis

Nemesis was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so we decided to take a ride on there. We got on the ride within about 5 minutes of passing the entrance, when you include the walk to find the back of the queue; Nemesis’ queue is quite a walk, even with bits of it closed! But how was the ride? Well, I’ve always loved Nemesis, and today was no exception! For something that’s not overly tall or fast, the ride packs absolutely superb speed and intensity, and some of those sequences of elements are truly inspired! I particularly love the sequence leading from the first drop through to the zero-g roll; the sheer build up of speed there is so exhilarating! I also have to say that I maintain my view from last year regarding the rattle; I think the discussion about it is over egged myself. I do not find it to impede my enjoyment at all, even in the outer seats; it’s there, but I find it largely benign and honestly hardly notice it most of the time. Overall, then, I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on Nemesis; it’s definitely one of my favourite coasters on park (albeit not quite my very favourite), and I loved getting back on there:

After we got off Nemesis, I split off from my parents to head to something a bit different…

Toxicator

Toxicator was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so as it was the new draw for the year, I decided to give it a go. As with the other two Forbidden Valley rides, the queue only took around 10 minutes; for a new ride, I can’t complain about that! But how was it? Well, I’m not a big flat ride lover, but I never did Ripsaw when it operated, so resultantly, Toxicator was my first ever Huss Top Spin and I wanted to give it a try for that reason alone. I was interested to see how it rode, but also mildly nervous to see how wet I would get given it wasn’t that warm and I’d heard tales of people getting absolutely soaked by Toxicator with the fountains on. The ride looks really nice with all the theming and audio, and I have to say that I did not get nearly as wet as I’d feared, with only one fountain spray on my legs… but I’m really sorry to say that I did not like Toxicator at all, and found the experience absolutely vile. My reasons for not liking it are two fold; the first is that it does a lot of that sustained upside down hangtime that I absolutely hate, which turned me off it, and the second is that if I’m being honest, I think I find all the flipping in a row too much in terms of nausea and too violent for my liking. It is quite violent when it flips over and over, and I didn’t like it at all. I’m sorry if that’s controversial, as I know people have been raving about it as well as the likes of Talocan which is the same ride style, but as someone who doesn’t go mad for flat rides in general, I would say that Toxicator was right down there with Air Race at Drayton Manor and Samurai at Thorpe Park as one of the most vile I’ve ridden. In a park packed with brilliant rides like Alton Towers, it’s definitely a one and done for me; I don’t see myself rushing to ride it again any time soon:

After Toxicator, my mum fancied a ride on Nemesis, having not ridden it earlier. I was never going to say no to a reride on Nemesis, and after a 15-20 minute queue, we were once again seated in row 5, and it was once again absolutely excellent. While I’m on the subject, I should also add that operations on both Forbidden Valley coasters were absolutely superb; Nemesis was on 2 trains and hardly stacking, and Galactica was on 3 trains and 2 stations and in “slowing down on the lift hill” territory, which I think is brilliant myself:

After an awesome reride on Nemesis, we headed out of Forbidden Valley towards some of the other rides, taking a dark ride detour on the way…

The Curse at Alton Manor

Curse was on an advertised 5 minute queue, so as it was on our way out towards the rest of the park, me and my dad decided to have a go on there. If anything, the 5 minute queue time was overstated, as we practically walked straight on there; Curse is a very reliable walk on ride! So, how was it? Well, I have to say it was very good; I think it was a brilliant overhaul that vastly improved on Duel, and it was on fine form today, with pretty much every effect working! One effect on there that I’m a particular fan of is the Trommel Tunnel; when working properly, that is a really cool effect, particularly with the clock at the end of the tunnel! I also really like the whole story they added to the ride, as well as some of the projection mapping, and the effect with the mirror and the finale are some other really cool effects! I’ll admit that 1 or 2 of the projections (namely the skull and Emily popping out of the coffin) look a bit naff, but on the whole, I think the revamp was a major victory for that ride in that it made it a good, cohesive dark ride again! I’ll admit, though, that I do get a bit jumpy in there at times, and I think it’s about the top of the scare threshold I can tolerate; it’s the air cannons that get me! Given that some air cannons and audio on Curse make me jumpy, I think it’s perhaps for the best that I don’t do actor led attractions like Sub-Terra:

After Curse, we headed down the Haunted Hollow to our next coaster…

Wicker Man

Wicker Man was on an advertised 45 minute queue time, so we decided to take a ride on there. As it turned out, the 45 minute queue time was overstated, taking only 30-35 minutes; you can never complain when that happens! As usual, operations were really good on there, with 3 trains running and dispatches being prompt, but I have to say that I do think they could maybe do with getting rid of the pre-show on there now, or at very least not holding you in there like they do. I noticed that they were often having to wait for the pre-show to end to fill trains on occasion, so it does seem to slow things down a tad at times. That’s enough about the operations, though; how was the ride? Well, I do absolutely love Wicker Man, and today was no exception; I was seated in row 7, and it was a phenomenal ride! It’s perhaps controversially my favourite ride on park, for the simple reason that while not the most intense of rides per se, it is possibly one of the most fun coasters out there, and absolutely creases me every time! It’s still no slouch layout-wise, though; the sense of speed in places, particularly on that first s-bend drop and buildup beforehand, is absolutely amazing for a coaster that only goes 44mph, there’s some nice airtime in places, the laterals are really good fun without being excessive (and I say that as someone who doesn’t rate wild mouse coasters at all because I don’t go nuts for excessive laterals), and the layout is twisty, fun and generally flows really nicely and is great fun to ride! It’s also really smooth and comfortable for a wooden coaster, and on the whole, I just find it so much fun and like it a whole lot more than I feel I should! This first ride was made unique, though, by the company sat behind us; my dad was sat next to a teenage girl who let out possibly the loudest, most piercing screams I’ve ever heard on a ride from the second we pulled out of the station! I think we were all slightly deafened by the end of the experience, and it reduced my mum to fits of laughter! Overall, though, that first ride on Wicker Man was phenomenal as ever; I do love getting back on there:

I had noticed while climbing the lift hill on Wicker Man that the queue had dropped significantly, so after we got off, I hopped straight back in the queue for another go while my parents went and ate lunch. I waited around 25 minutes for this reride, and it was once again phenomenal! I did, however, snatch defeat from the jaws of victory in trying to get the back; I was in the right order in the queue to be assigned to row 12, but as I was a single rider, I was asked to stand aside and instead ended up in row 3 due to a group of 5 coming directly behind me! The ride was still awesome nonetheless, and the operator on there acted exactly as they should have done to maximise operational efficiency, but even still, I was slightly disappointed to miss out on the back so narrowly!

After I got off Wicker Man, I headed back to meet my parents and eat my own lunch before we headed together to ride our next coaster…

The Smiler

The Smiler was on an advertised 30 minute queue time, so we decided to have a go on there. The queue was in fact overstated, taking only around 20 minutes; that’s always a bonus, particularly on a popular ride like Smiler! But how was the ride? Well, we were seated in row 2, and I have to say that it’s not the best ride I’ve ever had on there. There were a fair few rough bits, albeit it perhaps wasn’t quite as bad as the last time I rode it, and the restraints also seemed to tighten quite uncomfortably during the ride. I don’t hugely rate The Smiler, if I’m honest; it’s not a terrible ride by any means, but I find it a little bit too rough in places, and I also find the layout, although creative, feels a little bit repetitive in its motions in a flat ride-style manner that makes me feel a tad queasy. I have to say, though, that the second airtime hill on there is awesome! Overall, then, Smiler wasn’t my favourite ride of the day, and I think my parents agreed; both of them admitted that while they were impressed by it, they were unsure if they actually liked it. My mum in particular said she found it “a bit too rough”:

After we got off The Smiler, we were initially going to ride Oblivion, but the ride was experiencing a temporary delay, so we instead decided to head over to…

Thirteen

Thirteen was on an advertised 45 minute queue and was one of only 2 big coasters I hadn’t done today, so we decided to head over there. Well, I say “we”, but my parents told me to head on over on my own and I ended up riding alone. As such, I decided to use a secret weapon that I have never been able to use on Thirteen before… the single rider queue! This was added to Thirteen at the end of last year, and I have to say that I found this offering highly beneficial; on the first ride, I was batched promptly at the baggage hold, and I almost entirely bypassed a 45 minute standby queue… as I got on the ride in 5 minutes. I can’t quibble with that at all! So, how was the ride? Well, I actually scored the back row on there for the first time in ages, and it was brilliant! Thirteen has definitely grown on me over the years, and this ride was great fun! As I was in the back, the first drop had some surprising airtime, with me really getting pulled out of my seat, the outdoor section had some fun twists, turns and mild pops of airtime, and the indoor section was a laugh as ever! I always find that backwards section so funny, and I find it feels a lot faster than it likely is in reality when you’re in the darkness! Overall, then, I really enjoyed Thirteen; I think it’s a brilliant ride, and I find it really good fun:

After my brilliant ride on Thirteen, I met back up with my parents, thinking that we might ride something else together… but at this point, they decided that they were going to exit the park, play the free round of Extraordinary Golf that came free with the hotel room and check in early. As such, I was left to my own devices from here on in.

The first thing I did, while I was in Dark Forest, was have another single rider reride on Thirteen. As the single rider queue was so quiet and I found the first ride so enjoyable, I thought “why not?”. The single rider queue was a little busier this time, but still only took 15 minutes, which I can’t complain about given that the main queue was still 45! As I was in the station a little longer, I should mention that I also got a more comprehensive view of operations on there, and I have to say that they were absolutely outstanding today! The average dispatch interval was less than a minute, and at times, they were attaining 50s intervals on there. There were times where the staff were checking the trains so fast that they were having to usher people off the exit platform from the previous train before they could dispatch… it was brilliant! As for the ride itself, I was seated in row 5, and it was once again really good fun, although the punchy first drop from the back row ride was lacking this time.

After I got off Thirteen, I headed to X-Sector to tick off the final operating big coaster that I hadn’t ridden today…

Oblivion

Oblivion was on an advertised 25 minute queue, so as it was the last major coaster I hadn’t yet done, I decided to give it a whirl! As with Thirteen, Oblivion has obtained a newly added single rider queue since my last visit; I used this to great effect, getting on the ride in just 10 minutes! So, how was the ride? Well, I have to say that it was absolutely fantastic; I love Oblivion, and today was no exception! It’s a coaster that’s grown on me a lot over the years; when I was younger, I used to put it down a lot for being short, but as I’ve grown older, I’ve grown to value how well it executes the few seconds of ride time it has. It may be less than 10 seconds long, but those seconds are sublime; the sustained airtime on the drop is wonderful, and the raw sense of speed in the tunnel provides raw exhilaration quite unlike few coasters I’ve ever ridden! Even though Oblivion is short, I’m a fan of anything with speed, airtime and a comfortable, rerideable ride experience in tandem, and it ticks all of those boxes for me; this might sound like a bizarre take, but I think it’s probably the closest thing Alton Towers has in terms of sensations to a big, airtime-focused hyper coaster, and I like it for that! Another potentially hot take that I grew to realise today is that I think I might marginally prefer Oblivion to SheiKra; while SheiKra has raw size and additional length on its side, the sense of speed in Oblivion’s tunnel is quite unlike anything SheiKra offers; you really feel the speed down there! All in all, then, I loved getting back on Oblivion; short though it may be, I think it’s absolutely fantastic, and it’s my favourite steel coaster on park (yes, I put it ahead of Nemesis!):

After I got off Oblivion, I went back round again not once more, not twice more, but three times more, capping off my Oblivion tally for today at four rides. I think it’s probably the most easily rerideable coaster in Alton Towers for me; while I personally prefer Wicker Man by a small margin, the faff of the pre-show and the often longer queues make Wicker Man a less effortless reride than Oblivion, in my personal opinion. Oblivion is a very fun coaster to lap, particularly with the single rider queue; this provided me with queues no longer than 10 minutes on all four occasions today!

After my Oblivion riding session ended, I headed to ride a coaster that I hadn’t done in a little while…

Spinball Whizzer

Spinball Whizzer was on an advertised 25 minute queue time, but the single rider queue looked very short, so as I hadn’t actually ridden it since 2022, I decided to give Spinball a go. Once again, the single rider queue was highly beneficial, getting me on the ride in only 5 minutes; I can’t complain about that at all! But how was the ride? Well, Spinball is my least ridden coaster at Alton Towers aside from Octonauts, and today’s ride made me remember why; I’m not a massive fan of it, and would probably say that it’s my least favourite of the bigger coasters at Alton Towers. I’m not the world’s biggest lover of spinning coasters anyway, and as with a lot of the Maurer spinning coasters, Spinball can get quite spinny. As well as that, I also find it very jolty and jerky in places, which doesn’t make for the most pleasant of ride experiences. Overall, then, Spinball has a fun enough layout and is a nice family coaster for the park, but it’s not one I hugely rate, unfortunately. Nonetheless, it was interesting to get back on there after a 3 year hiatus:

After I got off Spinball Whizzer, I headed over to Wicker Man for another reride. This time, I was seated in row 5, and it was once again phenomenally fun, although I was seated next to a Brummie gentleman who wouldn’t stop effing and blinding as we negotiated the circuit:

After I got off Wicker Man, I headed over to Forbidden Valley for one final reride on Nemesis. I was seated in row 6 this time, and it was once again absolutely fantastic; the ride had warmed up wonderfully, and that first sequence of elements in particular was hitting hard:

After I got off Nemesis, it was around 5:45pm, and as I had to meet my parents for a dinner reservation, I left the park there. In retrospect, I substantially overestimated how long it would take me to walk from the Galactica gate to the hotel and could probably have squeezed in another ride on Nemesis, but I didn’t want to be late to arrive back with my parents:

Before I wrap up the trip report, I should probably mention where we ate this evening, seeing as food, or more specifically avoiding the on-resort offering, is a hot topic at Alton Towers currently. We went to The Bull’s Head in Alton, and despite highly mixed TripAdvisor reviews that were worrying my mum, we thought it was absolutely lovely! The staff were pleasant, the food was lovely, the service was quick, and on the whole, we couldn’t recommend it enough if you’re wanting to avoid the on-resort food offering at Alton Towers, even if it is admittedly slightly difficult to park! We did have an interesting experience when coming back, though, as the main resort entrance was closed and we had to re-enter Alton Towers through the staff entrance… we were greeted by a security guard who looked surprised to see us and gave us a slightly bemused “Good evening!”. We then went back to our room and briefly sat down in the hotel bar… although I must admit that I didn’t stay down there long as I found the entertainment a bit too loud. Does anyone else find the entertainment in the Alton Towers Hotel absolutely deafening when you’re sat having a drink in the bar, or am I just too miserable?

So, I think that just about does if for our day at Alton Towers! I had an excellent day; if you’ve lost track, I got 17 rides, which might be the highest number I’ve ever managed at Alton Towers! This included at least one ride on every big coaster that was operating and rerides on multiple, so I was chuffed with that! Crowds weren’t too heavy for a Saturday in the summer holidays, and given how much flack Alton Towers receives in enthusiast circles nowadays, I have to say that operations were also broadly excellent; dispatch times were excellent in most cases, and ride availability was also pretty good, with relatively limited downtime. I was also a big fan of the proliferation of single rider queues; so many rides have them now, and it’s awesome! Rides-wise, I have to say that Wicker Man was my highlight as always, but Oblivion and Nemesis are also rides that I’m a big fan of, and I also really enjoyed Thirteen today… there’s so much to pick from in Alton Towers! As a coaster fan in the UK, I almost feel like a child in a sweet shop when I visit Alton, with there being so much good stuff to ride; it is quite unlike most other UK parks in that regard, with only Thorpe seriously competing with Alton Towers in that sense for me! All in all, though, I had an excellent day today, and I can’t wait to head back in tomorrow!

Thanks for reading; I hope you’ve enjoyed this report! Keep your eyes peeled for another report tomorrow, as we head back into Alton Towers for another day of fun!