Everyone seems to be slagging off the line up... but come on. It's a FAMILY concert and JLS are pretty damn hot property at the moment. This is just what AT need. I am sure they'll announce more specific concerts like last year's P!NK gig soon, too.

Everyone seems to be slagging off the line up... but come on. It's a FAMILY concert and JLS are pretty damn hot property at the moment. This is just what AT need. I am sure they'll announce more specific concerts like last year's P!NK gig soon, too.

I don't think I'd ever see Alton setting up a Bullet For My Valentine concert...Most likely would be Muse...But I've seen JLS fans... They're annoying...

JLS are a bunch of swingers, the Saturdays are thicker than three bricks put together - and Eliza Dolittle just walks around whistling, hoping it'll sell songs.

No matter how much I dislike all those listed acts, well done Alton!The public will lap this, and those tickets will sell like hot cakes. And that price is pretty good too - £55 for entry to the park, parking and seeing those highly favourable acts? Can't see many people complaining about that cost!

Alton has opened this morning for it's "free" day - with Facebook Events. Apparantly there's a big screen and free WIFI at the entrance plaza to help guests!

^Not that I needed the Wi-Fi... :)In actual park news, Duel has some new pieces of theming in the queue... And the spider-crabs replaced the rays... Making it really crap in that room now as they do NOTHING...Aside from that, nothing unusual to report, aside from many the conservatory work they're doing at Hex's exit...

But rays are the best stupid Sealife, why replace the fantastic rays with statue crabs? Meh.

Apparently there's more rays in the ocean tunnel thing. But meh, it was far better where they used to be!

Changes in Duel as follows:- Return of the "hand in the jar" to the indoor queueling - it twitches!- Return of the "mysterious turning book" on the couch by Emily Alton's doll house - it will turn in time.- New Zombie's coming out of the windows- Audio fixed before the Trommel- New candlearbras in the windows, these are visible from outside the rideOther changes around park:- All Nemesis waterfalls working (Nemesis running really fast for so early in the year!)- Nemesis smoke billowing all over the place by the Atomic Tours bus- RMT smoke billowing as the train passes (sadly, ride running very slowly)- New food/drink kiosk replacement for vending machines in Air queue although this is not ready to open yet- Lots of new merchandise - CWOA/TP/AT Top Trumps for example, no doubt will be available at CWOA and TP too from March,- Charlie and the Chocolate Factory was only open on 1 lift on Sat/Sun as a replacement for Twirling Toadstool as Toadstool needed a part. Should swap back again today (Mon)- Changes expected to Refresh@Spinball for main season opening- Annual Pass office has been refurbished (although more to complete for March)- Guest services has been refurbished (although it's not complete - will be ready for March)- New turnstiles at the theme park entrance- Frog Hopper refurbishment to backboardRides operating as follows:- Spinball 5 cars- Air 1 station / 2 crafts- Nemesis 2 trains- Oblivion 4 shuttlesAlthough the park was soul-less (as it usually is in February), there seems to be a fair bit of momentum about ready for March. Queues over the weekend were not very long - with Air generally the longest at around 20 minutes. Spinball occasionally went to 30 minutes in wet weather. Charlie was also quite long, but as stated it's set to close again as of today and was only opened in emergency to compensate for the lack of Twirling Toadstool over the weekend.Ride availability over the weekend was generally very good - with some rides suffering short and sporadic bursts but nothing major that wasn't cleared up in a short time.The Emperor Grill at the Alton Towers Hotel is by far the best restaurant on resort. It's absolutely excellent.

Great to hear they still tweak Duel. How do the zombies look?

They look funny but good, if you get me! Sort of arms waving all over the place and the like.Something else that is working, that I haven't seen for years (in fact, I can't ever remember seeing them) - is all the pinball theming around Spinball flashing (more like strobing every now and then)? Does anyone remember this? Also, there are pinball noises around the ride?

Why are there pinball noises when it's themed to Sonic now?There's another bloody ride the park messed up...

Why are there pinball noises when it's themed to Sonic now?There's another bloody ride the park messed up...

I am fully aware of that game's existance, but it's one of the lesser known of Sonic's games is my point... How many kids will have even HEARD of the Mega Drive?Plus, Spinball (the ride) is just terrible... That's more what I was getting at, they're bringing in noises that really have more to do with the original 'theme' than it does with the current one...I hope they do move it in the future, down to Cloud Cuckoo Land and theme it accordingly...

I wouldn't say Sonic Spinball is a "terrible" ride. Sure, it's not exactly Alton's greatest ever - but there's nothing wrong with it; the main problem being the 750-an-hour throughput. It's actually one of the more "intense" MS Spinners I have been on if truth be told. Of course, I am not saying I would wait more than 30 minutes for it - I simply wouldn't - but the ride itself is pretty darn popular. I agree the theme has always been questionable though, but it and Rita are all down to those dark DIC-owned days when Tussauds were just shoehorning attractions into Alton Towers.

If Sonic Spinball gets 750 an hour then I may as well just jump out my window right now...Just... No...And it's certainly not one of the best MS spinners around... And I'm not even counting Fury here...

It does get 750 per hour. I assure you. And I didn't say it was one of the best - I used the word "intense" - which I do believe it is. Certainly more intense than Winjas Force, Crush's Coaster and Dragons Fury. But, in a theme park, better? Probably not. Just because on the theme/landscaping side of things, it isn't so hot.

I wouldn't say Sonic Spinball is a "terrible" ride. Sure, it's not exactly Alton's greatest ever - but there's nothing wrong with it; the main problem being the 750-an-hour throughput. It's actually one of the more "intense" MS Spinners I have been on if truth be told. Of course, I am not saying I would wait more than 30 minutes for it - I simply wouldn't - but the ride itself is pretty darn popular. I agree the theme has always been questionable though, but it and Rita are all down to those dark DIC-owned days when Tussauds were just shoehorning attractions into Alton Towers.

- You're right Spinball isn't terrible. It does lack a certain something though.-Yeah well it's going to be popular, having the widest target audience, the first ride you see as you enter the park and the lowest throughput rollercoaster. Naturally It's going to be darn popular.- 750 throughput isn't likely. Fury with the same amount can just about reach 650 and with the amount of stacking on Spinball in the break run...

Fury only allows 3-adults per car... so Spinball surely has a considerably higher throughput as it allows 4 adults per car.I shall veryify the actual throughputs as soon as I can - as a good friend of mine is working on it this very week.

Fury only allows 3-adults per car... so Spinball surely has a considerably higher throughput as it allows 4 adults per car.I shall veryify the actual throughputs as soon as I can - as a good friend of mine is working on it this very week.

I'm talking about the times when it ran 8 cars and it was allowed 4 adults in a car though. Fury's estimated throughput was 900 which is impossible.Besides, you can still get 4 people in a car, the staff have to work damn hard but I had times up there when all cars were going out with 4 people...

You'll find Fury will have a higher throughput pro rata - I can nearly guarantee you that.The difference is staff on Fury batch, send, batch send. Unfortunately block shutdowns happen when cars catch up and that's the reason 3 adults are only allowed in a car. Spinball will stop cars and release, as will Fury; however when you send a car in behind it then the ride will block shutdown. If you batch 1 adult with three kids and then a car of 4 adults, the cars will catch up - remember its 4 blocks for 2 cars.I'd imagine because of this Spinball has a lot more block shutdowns - thus a lower throughput, however if this is trained out (how you're actually meant to batch the ride) then block shutdowns that are random blocks will be non existent. However that obviously excludes sensor failures causing block shutdowns etc.

The difference is staff on Fury batch, send, batch send. Unfortunately block shutdowns happen when cars catch up and that's the reason 3 adults are only allowed in a car. Spinball will stop cars and release, as will Fury; however when you send a car in behind it then the ride will block shutdown. If you batch 1 adult with three kids and then a car of 4 adults, the cars will catch up - remember its 4 blocks for 2 cars.I'd imagine because of this Spinball has a lot more block shutdowns - thus a lower throughput, however if this is trained out (how you're actually meant to batch the ride) then block shutdowns that are random blocks will be non existent. However that obviously excludes sensor failures causing block shutdowns etc.

Having operated Fury for three and a half seasons.. I still got lost reading your post Outfit.

Car 1 is loaded with 1 adult, 3 kids. Car 2 is loaded with 3 adults. (Follow me here - this justifies why you can't load 4 because the cars catch up between low and high weight cars)Car 3 doesn't matter what weight.Situation 1:Car 1 reaches Block 2 as Car 2 reaches Block 1, then Block 1 will hold Car 2 as there isn't anywhere for the car to go. Operator sees this and resets Block 1 after Block 2 is clear.Situation 2:Car 1 reaches Block 2 as Car 2 reaches Block 1, then Block 1 will hold Car 2 as there isn't anywhere for the car to go. Operator misses this and sends Car 3 out, and the ride will then shutdown as too many blocks are over represented.

From a Spinball Op:Average throughput in dry weather is 700 people per hour. Some hours it gets slightly less, some hours slightly more. On wet weather this is reduced by 25% as only 3 per car.

Spinball is bound to get a higher throughput - longer station, more cars, less chance of stacking before being dispatched.It's a case of oblivion, the more shuttles on the system, the higher the throughput, regardless that they all stack up behind station!As for DIC comment, don't give them so much credit. It was charterhouse through and through. DIC came in during 05 season after they opened.. and DIC installed almost ****all in all parks, apart from stuff already budgetted for.