Alton Towers Trip Reports

[D4n]

yes, and I did wave said wristband.

Haha, you must've done something wrong- it pickied me up on everything and the footage was great

[Tom]

Lucky You.

[Theme Park bloke]

I've been to Alton Towers this weekend.For the first time since 2005 I've actually been on the Skyride - whoohoo! And it was my first time on Rita since 2006, the damn thing was closed last year.I had my last ride on Corkscrew, almost knocked my head on a support on the Runaway Mine Train () And Nemesis and Air, The Flume, Hex, Congo, Charlie and any other ride I've missed all thrilled me to bits.However, how boring is the Burger King in Cred Street?! All the fun theming has gone. At least the annoying Ronald in his car at the top of the building doesn't make that annoying sound anymore.And finally, does anyone know where I can get hold of a copy of the current entrance music? It's really good.

[Marc]

Alton - Yesterday!Had an amazing time yesterday! All started 5:20 in the morning when my alarm started ringing! The journey was full of many laughs including accidentaly going the wrong way out a service station, ending up going back towards london.. kinda delayed us abit and then my amazign 70mph to 10 in matter of seconds to make our cheap petrol... even though it was cheap everywhere, Thats when everyone started to worry.. apart from dan he trusted my driving!Got there eventually and rode pretty much everything, rode submission for my first time and I think its actually amazing! Rita broke down when we were in the q twice, I think its some kind of curse. Rode corkscrew for what maybe my last time front row, was also good! Enjoyed the day very much.Started to get tired and thought better go home, then for some reason I started to get abit hyper but I reckon its that what got us home I got in just past 1ish I think. Good day. thanks ALL!Probably missed loads but hey, still tired! Will post pics later.. maybe.

[Mark9]

Went up for the Farewell Corkscrew event. I think emotional is pushing it but there was something definitely odd about the trip. Got there about opening time and ended up in the Corkscrew Hall of Memories first. Lots of Corkscrew memorabilia and posters dedicated to Corky, certainly hit home what an icon it was back in its day. They were selling Corkscrew posters and Corkscrew last day T-shirts. I would have bought one but.. well.. didn't want to.Headed to Nemesis which, as always was awesome. Air was great too although had a 5 minute silence for remembrance day in the station. Very surreal as normally its all hustle and bustle. Duel was as great as always, Blade was well crap, RMT fun, Marauders Mayhem awesome, Oblivion off the scale, Spinball good, Rita painful in the rain and then theres Corkscrew. I've written a few things for a feature I've written. Nonetheless today was all about Corkscrew. Empty train on Rita, 10 minute queue for Corky. Even though its apparently rough, crap and awful, today it was like so many year ago, the main attraction. Quite frankly it deserves it. I feel a bit gutted now actually.

[Chris]

Went today for my first trip of 2009, all in all was good. it was nice to see the effort put into the half term maps, showing what was and wasn't open. All the rides that they said would open were open. Signs for sharkbait reef were scattered around the park, and could see some work being done to it and the outside of it. Also saw one of the new sky-ride gondola(?) things ... nothing special though.RidecountOblivion - 2Air - 1Duel - 3Hex - 1Spinball whizzer - 1

[Mark9]

Went to Alton Towers today. Whilst I normally have awesome times at the park, today the trip was slightly marred by tiredness, cold weather and showers. It didn't help that my poor luck with Intamins continue as Rita decided to throw a wobbly on our second go. Nonetheless the park was running awesomely with Air, Oblivion and Nemesis all running to maximum capacity (yes even on a dead day like today).Nemesis was running like a dog on heat. I still cannot put into words just how awesome it continues to be and how much it impresses me even to this day. The new Skyride pods look nice however I didn't really like the facing inwards thing, especially when having to look at strangers, They also didn't seem to be running many gondolas meaning it ended up being our longest queue.The Sea-life centre is also only excellent if you have not been through Chessington's version as they are exactly the same lay-out and same displays. It is much better themed, but well you know.. it wasn't enough.The staff at the park are bloody awesome. Nearly every single one on every ride said hello, enjoy your ride, enjoy the rest of your day which was nice...So yeah.. good day.

[themeparkmad]

Went to Alton Towers today. Whilst I normally have awesome times at the park, today the trip was slightly marred by tiredness, cold weather and showers. It didn't help that my poor luck with Intamins continue as Rita decided to throw a wobbly on our second go. Nonetheless the park was running awesomely with Air, Oblivion and Nemesis all running to maximum capacity (yes even on a dead day like today).Nemesis was running like a dog on heat. I still cannot put into words just how awesome it continues to be and how much it impresses me even to this day. The new Skyride pods look nice however I didn't really like the facing inwards thing, especially when having to look at strangers, They also didn't seem to be running many gondolas meaning it ended up being our longest queue.The Sea-life centre is also only excellent if you have not been through Chessington's version as they are exactly the same lay-out and same displays. It is much better themed, but well you know.. it wasn't enough.The staff at the park are bloody awesome. Nearly every single one on every ride said hello, enjoy your ride, enjoy the rest of your day which was nice...So yeah.. good day.

Glad you had a good day!Do you do Alton Towers there and back in 1 day? (only asking this to see if you could do it for when I can drive and future work plans!)Thanks Mark.

[Mark9]

We did yeah. We managed to get there for Extra ride time where Oblivion, Rita and Runaway Mine Train open at 9. The other rides tend to open around 9:50.

[John Smith]

Myself and a friend decided to go to AT over the bank holiday weekend- on both Sunday and Monday.It's only the second (and third) time I've actually been there, and it's a brilliant place.So we started off getting there about 9 o clock, took the monorail over to the entrance and went through the turnstiles. This is the point at which we were told Annual Pass holders got to go in before everyone else! Of course we thought that this was brilliant!During this extra time we went on Oblivion several times, as well as Rita. It was our first rides on Rita, and although a very good rides with some lovely air-time, I personally think that Stealth is far far superior in ride experience. Once all the guests had been let in we assumed that the queue times would rocket to 60-90 mintues, but we were wrong. We queued no longer than approx. 15 mintues for Air. For the Sunday our total tide counts would have been at least triple anyone who visited Thorpe Park over the May bank holiday. This is where we both began to find ourselves continually moaning about Thorpe Park, and wishing that AT was the 30 mintues drive away that Thorpe is for us. I've already mentioned the queue times, which because of the size of the park, and the running of all rides at full capacity were tiny. But there were many other things.1) Theming. As an example, Duel had much better theming than Saw. That't not even me joking about or being flipant (sp?), it's completely true. Saw's queueline consists of some rusty farm machinery, and some plastic bodies laying on barbed wire. Duel's queueline uses anamatronics, has a room that is lop-sided and creates an atmosphere that does exactly what theming is supposed to do- take you away from reality. Saw does not achieve this in any sense of the imagination. As well as this, ALL of Alton's rides are themed, and most of them majorly so. The whole park gives a sense of escapism.2) Operation of rides. Reliability was amazing. Oblivion broke down for around an hour on the Sunday, but the staff still actually bothered to fix it and get it running 15 mintues before closing time. And as well as this, they told us all in the queue that they would keep the ride open an extra 15 mintues at the end of the day to make up for the down time. (So we just kep going round and round). Thorpe Park would never ever get the ride up and running so close to the end of the day, and moreover, they would never keep the queueine open longer to make up for it. 3) Annual Passes let in early. AT do it, why can't Thorpe Park? Or is it simply because Thorpe can't get their rides open for normal opening time, let alone an hour before hand!?4) Guests! AT actually targets all age groups, meaning that it isn't packed completely full of the dregs like Thorpe is! (we still got queue-jumped several times)5) Effects. This kind of falls into the theming category, but effects were working everywhere! None were broken as far as we could tell! (obviously if we went there more we would probably notice them more)Those are just some of the major points we picked up on. Of course the staff are equally as good at both, and as I said Stealth is a major positive of Thorpe (at least for me it is). It was just so noticable how much nicer the atmosphere was, and there was NO ONE in guest services at the end of the day. No one!All in all a big fat 10 out of 10 for Alton; I enjoyed it a lot. The only thing is that it's made me dangeroulsy anti- Thorpe!

[James6]

Glad you had a great couple of days.I agree completely with Rita being far inferior to Stealth.And like you I don't see why Thorpe can't give annual pass holders ERT as well.Only thing I disagree with is about Duel, I think it's themeing is patchy, cartoony and jsut a really mish-mash and well just doesn't really go. Also with Duel, it's such a hit and miss ride , sometimes it is something special and truly amazing , other's it's boring and none of the effects are working, Sadly the latter is the case most often.Once again like you said the atmosphere at Alton really does have that sort of magical feel IMO and there's so much less smoke, swearing and in general less bad behaviour.

[Marc]

And like you I don't see why Thorpe can't give annual pass holders ERT as well.

Probably because most of the time the park opens at 9:30 anyway!

[James6]

Oh yea, Completely forgot about that! But then again maybe even just 30 mins ERT

[John Smith]

Probably because most of the time the park opens at 9:30 anyway!

Well... parts of the park open at 9:30 Plus, it's not the point, the early opening for AP holders at Thorpe would me little or no queues during that time. Perhaps when or if Thorpe develop a hotel resort we will see the same sort of thing seeing as that's part of the package at the AT hotel.

[rossafc]

alton towers is really goodbut its too far away:(

[Paul]

alton towers is really goodbut its too far away:(:D

I know how you feel. It's just over 4 hours from where I live. I haven't been for 6 years, but I think we're going in the Summer .

[rossafc]

I know how you feel. It's just over 4 hours from where I live. I haven't been for 6 years, but I think we're going in the Summer .

ive only been once... that was 2 years ago :DI'm going next year for the new coaster :DI think its over 4 hours away from me aswell

[Mer]

Went up to Towers yesterday for the day, had a great time!Got there for the ERT, though Oblivion was testing so we did Enterpirse...hmm lol...then headed to RITA. Not as good as Stealth tbh mainly cos of the pain, I'm surprised my neck hasn't bruised! Went back to X-Sector and Oblivion was working so on we went!Rest of the day was great apart from the cold! But I don't think it rained at all...which makes it the first time I've been when it's not rained, woop! However we got soaked on Flume somehow?! Like almost Tidal Wave soaked! Then we went on Battle Galleons :PPark was generally not that busy, which was nice.We looked around the Towers which was nice as we've never done it before (the scaffolding is gone now btw). It's a shame they have bricked a lot of the windows up and that they don't have any staff there. It's nice to be able to explore it freely but that also means people can graffiti without being caught and litter the place, both of which we saw. But the only way having staff there would work would be if they did tours, which takes away that freedom to explore, plus it's more staff, more money, blaaah...But we got some great views from the top!Also walked around the Gardens, which was very nice too!Staff were friendly and pleasant, also Guest Services now offer cards on which you can write down the name of a member of staff and what they did that was excellent :PRide count:Nemesis - 3Air - 2Batte Galleons - 2Oblivion - 1RITA - 1Duel - 1Spinball - 1Rapids - 1Flume - 1Twirling Toadstools - 1Blade - 1Enterprise - 1Duel - 1Had a game of Extraordinary Golf after the park closed which was fun, then went for a drink in the Splash Landings bar. Noticed that Imperial Leather have done their work on the Tipping Bucket, oh the joy...Unfortunately it went down hill at the bar. They've got some new cocktails on the menu and a load of new staff. Now I appreciate that, but you'd think they would have prepared them more (both new and old staff with making the new cocktails), because every time they had a cocktail to make they were constantly asking the manager how to do it. The one I had (which I have had before in the Caribbean) was rank. It's supposed to smell and taste a lot of coconut and very sweet and creamy. What I had didn't taste or smell at all of cococut, the first one I had was so strong in terms of alcohol that it gave me a headache straight away and the taste made me feel sick. Although I didn't want to make a fuss, we took it back and the manager tried and it agreed straight away that it was way too strong, so I was right, and I wasn't just being a lightweight!. He made another one (he was the only one that seemed to know anything about the cocktails), plus rather than using the pre-made mix, he made it fresh which was very decent of him. I don't know if it was still 'wrong' or if it was because I had such a strong taste of alcohol still in my mouth, but it didn't taste how I remembered it to, BUT it was a lot nicer and I was grateful. I don't know how it all works with the bar staff and cocktails, whether they have some sort of "training" or what. That sounds funny I know, but you can't put a load of new drinks on a menu and have the staff make them when ordered and hope for the best. Like I said I don't know how stuff like this works there, but from mine (and probably everyone else's) point of view, it was as though they hadn't had any instructions on how to make them at all and either had to ask every time, or just attempt it and fail badly.Secondly, at one point a load of staff appeared, shouting and acting very drunk. The way they were walking and talking...well you know when someone is drunk and these guys, I am 99% sure they were. Two of them were by a till, laughing and shouting "Where's the key?" and swearing. From that point on the queue was very slow, it took about 20 minutes to serve two people. Thirdly, there was a family sat near us and the dad (who'd also been stuck in the queue) had got one of the kids a chocolate milkshake. When they tried it they said it didn't taste nice and the dad tried and said it tasted of ice. Pretty P'd off, he went to the bar and asked for a refund. The woman took the milkshake and started adding more chocolate to it, ignoring the dad saying to her "No don't worry, I just want a refund please." And they were using Aero Hot Chocolate powder to make chocolate milkshakes. The woman then walked off and I think the family ended up leaving.It's such a shame because I love Splash Landings and have found the staff before to be very nice, and the cocktails that have always been on the menu have been lovely. I feel really let down by them :PI hope it doesn't look like I'm making a big fuss over some silly drink. If it had just been that my drink was wrong then I wouldn't have minded too much. But the queue issue, the way the staff had no knowledge of their own job, and the fact that some were clearly drunk...that isn't acceptable IMO.But apart from that we still enjoyed the day, as other people have been saying (and it is something I have always thought since I first went), Alton Towers does have a magical atmosphere...the theming does make you feel like you have escaped reality

[James6]

Brilliant Trip report . I can't believe what they've done to the tipping bucket! And I know how you feel on Rita, it can be quite painful unless your at the very front, and definatley not as good as Stealth. I think of it as Stealth without the height and speed

[Phyciodes]

And I know how you feel on Rita, it can be quite painful unless your at the very front, and definatley not as good as Stealth. I think of it as Stealth without the height and speed

But the only thing Stealth has related to Rita is the launch really/ speed, lol. I've always thought Nemesis and Inferno have the same relation as Stealth does to Rita, the majority prefer Nemesis and Stealth and then there are the few people who prefer the other. lol.But yeah good report, shame about the staff though, its ridiculous there alowed to work so unprepared and coming in drunk! In a family waterpark!

[rossafc]

Wow...they have ruined the tipping bucket

[Mer]

Nemesis at the back throw you around a fair bit, but if you keep your head back and put your hood up, it doesn't hurt your ears I can't seem to win with RITA...I mean I would have to lean so far forward to avoid my neck being hit that my back would probably end up hurting or something Does anyone have any RITA neck-bashing tips? I really want to enjoy the ride and not feel beaten up every time I come off lol.What annoyed me even more was the woman in front of me had her arms up and didn't seem to be in pain! I was bracing myself with every ounce of effort yet came off worse. And yes we were at the back, ouch! Have been at the front though and it's a little better.Nemesis > RITA anyway :PAlso, how odd does UG Land look without Corky?

[Mark9]

Does anyone have any RITA neck-bashing tips? I really want to enjoy the ride and not feel beaten up every time I come off lol.

Just don't ride it really is the best advice. Those Intamin rollercoasters are just so evil and painful and vile and just nasty! You don't get any ear bashing from a full 60 seconds on Nemesis or Air whereas Rita and Colossus smack you around less then 10 seconds into the ride.

[Mer]

OMG I ♥ the Air restraints, is it me or are they really comfy :)Though when I pull them down I always hit my head and my hair sticks to the rubber lol.Oooh I know what I could do on RITA - take one of those travel pillows on with me, then my neck will be fiiiiiiine

[Mark9]

So went up to Alton Towers this weekend for me birthday and here is just a general round up of the highlights and lowlights of the trip. I'll start with the negatives because, yet again the park shone far more then it failed.- Air breakdown. One of two rides we saw go down over the weekend. Air had a bad day yesterday with one of it's trains going wrong in the first station. Unfortunately thats the side we were in which meant whilst the other side was working fine, we were stuck. Eventually we got on after half an hour and was also given exit passes because of the interruption. Excellent service from the park considering we did get our ride and they didn't really owe us anything.- Busy park. It was a very busy weekend with most rides having full queue-lines. We queued an hour each for Air and Nemesis, half an hour for Oblivion, Rita, Charlie and Mine Train on the Saturday and up to 30 minutes for most rides today. - Pizza and Pasta. A disorganized mess to be honest. There seemed to be no queuing system, you just grabbed what you could and pushed anyone out the way that you could. The pizza wasn't that great either.- Alton Towers hotel bar closes early. Had to make do with Splash Landings bar (Which is still great regardless)And now the pluses+ Despite the long queues the vast majority of staff were excellent. Talkative, friendly, entertaining and understanding. Special shout out goes to a woman at Runaway Mine Train who was utterly awesome. Gave me a special birthday shout out, but even before that she was tlaking to all guests and making everyone laugh. As our last ride of the day, it really made us all happy.+ Oblivion. Far superior ride to Saw. Saw may have a long lay-out but has nowhere near the class or exhilaration of its Northern equivalent. I was with someone who had never been to Alton before and she was terrified of the ride because of the queue-line videos. They do work!+ Nemesis. Just awesome. Best ride in Europe, bar none. + Rita chicken bar. I love this place. The food is gorgeous and cannot fault it.So all in all, an absolutely fantastic visit, yet again. Mine Train, Oblivion and Nemesis were real highlights and are the best rides in the country imo.