Benin Posted October 23, 2018 Report Share Posted October 23, 2018 It won't help capacity though, because then people are spending 30-45minutes (at a guess) on ONE attraction (not including queue) in a park that thinks that staggered openings and a 4pm close is sensible... It's a stupid idea, made stupider by charging extra for it (as people will complain about the added costs again), and then will no doubt be mothballed come 2020 due to cuts... Coaster and Adam P 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted November 21, 2018 Report Share Posted November 21, 2018 Going to be interesting to see how they fit / shoehorn in Dungeons to that area of Alton Towers... yes, I have watched a Lord Sanbrooke video hence my post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flipper Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 Taken from TowersTimes Confirmation Dungeons will be/utilize the existing boat ride, and be merely five show scenes. I say this in comparison to say Blackpool Tower Dungeon which is a ten 'shows' format; or Warwick's '50 minute experience'. I rather expect this will be somewhat shorter; at maybe a thirty minute experience which would make an up-charge rather questionable in terms of value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 17, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 I guess it depends on what the charge is. For example, a £5 charge for a 30 minute mini Dungeons experience is reasonable enough in my eyes. I guess it also depends on the size of groups, etc, as to how much personal interaction you'll get too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 17, 2019 Report Share Posted January 17, 2019 Personal interaction? They'll be pushing people out the door so they can fulfill any form of throughput... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 21, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 Pricing structure partially revealed... https://www.altontowers.com/theme-park/dungeon/ On the day - £7.50 Book in advance - £5 Combo ticket (park and Dungeons) on the day - £63.50 Combo ticket in advance - £38 Season Pass (no Dungeons) - £55 Season Pass Premium (with Dunegons) - £70 Time slots are in 15 minute intervals and from the park's first day. No word on any Annual Pass pricing as of yet, so it's possible there is no special rate for AP holders.. In fairness, £5 for a Dungeons experience, even if a mini version, is decent. JoelAllen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 It's not a bad price for a Dungeons but I still maintain the view that a theme park (especially one which already has rather short opening hours) is the wrong place for one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marhelorpe Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 The extra cost will be relative to the quality of the experience itself however, so that £5 is still questionable. Given we already know it's going to utilise the trough from Charlie, it has potential, but the 5 live-action scenes will need to match or surpass the quality of the ones used in London. Biggest problem I see is it's gonna be situated in a giant (and echoey) warehouse with flat flooring and no change in elevation, so aren't expecting anything amazing here. All the other dungeons to my knowledge have much more confined rooms and change in elevation in each scene, which adds a good illusion you are travelling deeper underground. And given it's at the furthest point in the park, it wouldn't surprise me if it opens at midday on weekdays and closes at 3:30pm too. It's simply the wrong type of attraction at the wrong time for this park. JoelAllen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 33 minutes ago, Marhelorpe said: And given it's at the furthest point in the park, it wouldn't surprise me if it opens at midday on weekdays and closes at 3:30pm too. It's simply the wrong type of attraction at the wrong time for this park. On an off-peak day that gives you 3h:30mins to enjoy the attraction, if you plan accordingly that's certainly enough time to fit in the experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 21, 2019 Report Share Posted January 21, 2019 £5 for a Dungeon attraction is adequate as prices go, although it will be interesting to see how it works given how far away from the main entrance this actually is and how popular/successful it will be as an ‘upcharge’ from park entry. Whos to say in a few years rime, the attraction will open later/selected times or not open on certain/ off peak days. Wait and see I guess! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2019 I don't see the size of the building being an issue. We know Merlin are good at doing dark, scary things, and they've got plenty of experience with Dungeons attractions. They'll utilise the space well, and I don't see that causing issues. Though the (presumed) lack of floor changes will be an interesting one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marhelorpe Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 So it appears from a recent tweet from the park's account earlier today that Premium MAP holders will NOT be given free entry into the Alton Towers' Dungeon this season: https://twitter.com/altontowers/status/1088049984426176513?s=09 However, those with a new Premium Alton Towers only Season Pass will get one free admission per visit according to TowersStreet....................?! How very M£rlin. Still, better than nothing I suppose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/whats-on/whats-on-news/what-expect-alton-towers-dungeon-15714026 Confirms 5 scenes and a boat ride, courtroom, plague and torturer scenes are the same (though courtroom will be done by a Bishop, not a judge but no doubt be played the same way), and there will be a Witch of Burslem scene (possible akin to Edinburgh or York which had a really spoopy witches scene?)... Assume the remaining 'scene' will be an introduction (maybe the lifts?)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 The more that is revealed about this project the more soul-suckingly mediocre it becomes. If it were included in the ticket I'd gladly give it a try with an open mind, but I can't even do that. Not going to play Merlin's brainwashing game by paying extra for something I've done many times before anyway. The Dungeon "brand" has been watered down year on year until it's become just another easy to reproduce tourist trap. You could have the same kind of horror/humour experience far better for less price elsewhere. This was the last thing the park needed. 2542464, Whatever and Ringo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 It's a bit poor that they took away a family boat ride (forgetting whether the CATCF theme was the best fit, as it could have been rethemed) under the TLC smokescreen, and then are now using this to run an up-charge attraction. Terrible move to make after the success of Wicker Man, they're literally pushing the park backwards again after its recent found success. Merlin aren't fit to run Alton Towers, nor do they deserve a park with so much potential. SteveJ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted January 23, 2019 Report Share Posted January 23, 2019 It's a bit of a slap in the face to Premium MAP holders. Making their second biggest customers pay extra for the privilege. That's power towers. Whatever 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 24, 2019 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 I'll just take a second to jump off the Merlin bashing bandwagon and note that Towers' tweet about MAP holders says "at present, MAP holders do not get free entry". I'm going to go out on a limb and say that it will either be free at some point this year or, failing that, free next year in some respect. There are a lot of annual passholders out there, and the Dungeons experience will have a limited availability. If it's free to passholders, they'll then hog out far too many spaces, causing disappointment for non-passholders wanting to visit it, and the attraction will make limited return in its first year. I agree it's ridiculous to offer a lite version of something that passholders get for free elsewhere and charge for it. I feel like they should have followed suit with the premium season pass and offered one free entry per pass, but I guess that has added complications. It's fairly common for parks to restrict access or charge for new attractions to passholders, and not just within Merlin. This isn't a good thing, but I don't think that this scenario is as big a slap in the face as many of their other decisions to be honest. 14 hours ago, Wumbamillio said: The Dungeon "brand" has been watered down year on year until it's become just another easy to reproduce tourist trap. You could have the same kind of horror/humour experience far better for less price elsewhere. This was the last thing the park needed. Within the UK, yes. The Dungeons brand is oversaturated and too much carbon copy and paste. I don't mind that it's easy to replicate, as it makes sense to have it multiple countries, where people are unlikely to visit more than one Dunegons. But even then, Merlin have shown they can create unique and tailor-made Dungeons experiences with the recently open Shanghai one, which is by far the most unique out of them all. It's a shame we can't get that in the UK any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glitch Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 14 hours ago, Coaster said: It's a bit poor that they took away a family boat ride (forgetting whether the CATCF theme was the best fit, as it could have been rethemed) under the TLC smokescreen, and then are now using this to run an up-charge attraction. Terrible move to make after the success of Wicker Man, they're literally pushing the park backwards again after its recent found success. Merlin aren't fit to run Alton Towers, nor do they deserve a park with so much potential. I think you have just forgotten the existence of the family area Cbeebies land, which guess what..... has a family boat ride... and many other rides all the family can enjoy together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 50 minutes ago, Glitch said: I think you have just forgotten the existence of the family area Cbeebies land, which guess what..... has a family boat ride... and many other rides all the family can enjoy together. Cbeebies appeals to families with very young children, CATCF/Toyland/Around the World had the same appeal as something like River Caves or Bubbleworks where it was accessible to families but could be enjoyed by everyone. Also the one in Cbeebies isn't a dark ride is it? That's just like saying it's fine for BPB to scrap River Caves because they have Dora... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 Can’t say I’m massively surprised they are charging for their Dungeon attractions to pass holders (too), whether that means it will be free eventually can be anyone’s guess. If successful I can see the park adding a Madame Tussaud’s Alton Towers and/or a Legoland Discovery Centre Alton Towers in the future. The £5 Charge does now mean I will have an incredibly difficult task of whether I visit the Towers Dungeons or grab my usual Mcdonalds after visiting now though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 2 hours ago, Cedar Creek said: Can’t say I’m massively surprised they are charging for their Dungeon attractions to pass holders (too), whether that means it will be free eventually can be anyone’s guess. If successful I can see the park adding a Madame Tussaud’s Alton Towers and/or a Legoland Discovery Centre Alton Towers in the future. The £5 Charge does now mean I will have an incredibly difficult task of whether I visit the Towers Dungeons or grab my usual Mcdonalds after visiting now though. Go McDonalds then up to Blackpool Dungeons? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted January 24, 2019 Report Share Posted January 24, 2019 5 hours ago, Glitch said: I think you have just forgotten the existence of the family area Cbeebies land, which guess what..... has a family boat ride... and many other rides all the family can enjoy together. Cbeebies Land is nothing on what Toyland Tours and even Charlie were for a big family attraction. If Cbeebies Land is now meant to be the new standard for family offering, we know British parks are in the toilet HermanTheGerman and Kerfuffle 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted March 9, 2019 Report Share Posted March 9, 2019 We finally have a reveal to the entrance of the Towers Dungeon, here’s a look in all it’s glory! Image- Richard Paul Matthews from Theme Park Global Stuntman707 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stuntman707 Posted March 9, 2019 Report Share Posted March 9, 2019 There's a good post of some pics of the attraction through the years for comparison on Towers Street: https://towersstreet.com/talk/threads/2019-alton-towers-dungeons.4795/page-35#post-252999 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattgwise Posted March 9, 2019 Report Share Posted March 9, 2019 Phenomenal ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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