November 13, 201311 yr comment_171999 I'm hoping to go as I can't wait til march or later!! just the whole moshi monster thing putting me off haha!
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187519 New ERT lineup trial... http://www.altontowers.com/useful-info/early-ride-time/ For a limited time only, from 25th July - 1st August 2014 the following attractions will be open for Early Ride Time: CBeebies LandPostman Pat’s Parcel Post In the Night Garden Magical Boat Ride Mr Bloom’s Allotment Get Set Go Tree Top Adventure Something Special Sensory Garden Justin’s House Pie-O-Matic Factory Nina’s Science Lab Charlie & Lola’s Moonsquirters and Greendrops The Numtums Number-Go-Round Tree Fu Tom Training Camp Big Fun Show Time CBeebies Photo Studio X-Sector The Smiler Oblivion Enterprise
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187521 I hope they will still open Forbidden Valley, mine train and Duel on top of these, (X-Sector & Cbeebies) as though it's good having (what's mostly) the new popular rides open, it would be quite a step back for me if these were the only areas open for ERT.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187522 A step back in terms of the number of rides available, but a step forward in having those with the highest levels of popularity open...
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187523 So.. as a normal guest without ERT, you're gonna have a hard time riding Smiler or the Cbeebies attractions without a hefty queue then.. Or is that an attempt to manage the queues that side of the park more effectively.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187526 and makes the woodland walk from the hotel a bit pointless if they no longer have forbidden valley on ERT, as that was the best thing ever march this year being the only ones to use it and be the only ones in forbidden valley for like the first 10 minutes! plus the rides are only for thrill seekers or kids really, nothing in between which RMT, Duel & Blade covered. So good one way, bad the other... I know it's only a trial and a good idea to keep ERT together, but just can't see it working with just xsector, as they have been having cbeebies land open for ERT anyway!
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187532 That's a bit rubbish. The Smiler will have a huge queue already by the time day visitors can get to it, and no Nemesis
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187534 plus the rides are only for thrill seekers or kids really, nothing in between which RMT, Duel & Blade covered. That's a very good point. The trio of X-Sector non kiddie rides sounds insufficient for everyone that isn't a small child, has Cbeebies really altered the attending demographic so much that it is the right ratio? Overall it's very good to have the busiest rides included though, how it should always be. Add Spinball and Hex (maybe at the expense of a couple of cbeebies bits?) and I think that'd be about right.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187540 Ladies and Gentlemen...the element here is to allow ERT guests to enjoy Cbeebies and The Smiler within that hour and then head off into other areas of the park, thus relinquishing them from adding to the potential queues that these attractions will inevitability face. So understand this is in all helping you, whilst although other guests will have to wait, the queue will be considerably less than previously because most ERT guests will have been on the ride (few will in reality re-ride the attractions)
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187545 (few will in reality re-ride the attractions) I really doubt this in the case of The Smiler.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187549 I think it's good that all the rides are open in the same area. It was quite hard to go left (towards Nemesis) and right (towards the smiler) and get all of the rides done. The rides were more spread out. This will allow you to get all of the rides done in X sector, then go to another area for 10.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187550 Trust me...most normal people...normal guests visit ONCE a year IF that, so they are not going to re ride, they are going to try and get on as many rides as possible.
July 23, 201411 yr comment_187554 Trust me...most normal people...normal guests visit ONCE a year IF that, so they are not going to re ride, they are going to try and get on as many rides as possible. I'd rarely/never visit AT more than once a year if that, I reride tonnes of stuff. Trust me ... I am normal. It will undoubtedly keep peeps happy they get to ERT Smiler, but it won't have any noticeable effect on queues later in the day, the queue will always find its natural limit people are prepared to wait, be that first ride or reride.
July 24, 201411 yr comment_187559 Trust me...most normal people...normal guests visit ONCE a year IF that, so they are not going to re ride, they are going to try and get on as many rides as possible. They definitely do re-ride The Smiler - it's the queue time which puts it off. It's a good idea to add it onto ERT (loads just join the queue and wait currently anyway). They need to add some middle ground rides, really need to add those.. but otherwise it's a pretty good line-up, finally they've put the most popular and most busiest attractions onto ERT which means it's worthwhile having it. They say it's a trial, it's not a trial at all it's staying this way.. it says trial incase of negative feedback
July 24, 201411 yr comment_187561 They need to add some middle ground rides, really need to add those. Yep, I would add Mine Train and possibly Mauraders Mayhem & Sharkbait reef so there are a few rides that are for the 6-11 year olds. Or add Spinball and keep all ERT down the right hand side of the park. As others have said, I agree that by getting the Smiler open for 9am, hopefully all the ERT guests will have riddden by 10am, leaving slightly shorter queues for the rest of the people at 10am. A lot of people currently go straight to the Smiler anyway.
July 24, 201411 yr comment_187572 Most guests don't wish to spend a huge amount of money on one ride...Most will happily ride The Smiler once in ERT then head off to other areas of the park (when it opens at 10am)...Sorry but it's clear this is the logic Alton are employing, like it or not. Remember most on here are Enthusiasts, not the average 'Normal' guest. For most have never been to Alton or come very rarely...most guests will be rushing to go on ALL the main rides, not just the Smiler. It will also regulate the queue for the morning anyway, with it opening from 9am the queue has a time to move before it gets jammed of general admittance guests. To justify my argument, I see very few re-ride Nemesis or Air even on fairly quiet days. It simply aids the queue. I do however believe that Alton should stagger the opening of the park, I would much rather see the current line up (that we are discussing at the moment, including the Smiler) then at 9:30 they open Rita, Th13teen, etc, then at 10AM the full park is opened, to allow the area to flow...Aaand now I await the backlash as to why this idea is totally idiotic...LOL haha
July 24, 201411 yr comment_187606 Smiler has been opening as early as possible for ages now. Most guests are still coming mainly for the smiler, so if the queue time is short enough it'll be guaranteed they'll re-ride this before heading off. They do it a lot when the queue is 5mins, so they'll do it a lot during ERT!
August 10, 201411 yr comment_188341 Pretty sure I've seen this mentioned before, but no pictures: (Photo by TowersStreet). You can pay to charge you phone whilst on park. This one is near Dark Forest, and there's one by Forbidden Valley as well.
August 10, 201411 yr comment_188355 Pretty sure I've seen these type devices before. Definitely recall these appearing at Legoland last year and a Chessington has them as well. helpful to those on low phone low phone power.
August 10, 201411 yr comment_188360 Considering the ridiculous amount of complaints they used to get when people couldn't charge their phone (Cos apparently it was ridiculous they didn't have them) - to then be criticised as "money making" is flipping stupid.
August 10, 201411 yr comment_188363 I've used the one in thorpe park downstairs in the dome when I stayed all day and done summer nights... I wouldn't do it Alton though, as the parks far too big.. At least the dome isn't too far from any point to go back to to get the phone.
August 10, 201411 yr comment_188396 I was about to say I think I've seen similar ones at Thorpe park in the dome. I think it's a good thing to be honest. I wouldn't call it money making, think about the amount of people in the park, if they were free everyone would probably be trying to charge there phones even if they're not dead, I doubt many places let you charge your phones for free.
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