Alton Towers General Discussion

[Mark9]

It might be a terrible decision but an understandable and needed decision.Its better to shorten the park hours than not being able to open it at all, I should think the "Towers Two" tickets will be advertised more this season and opening hours return back to normal in due course when both the economic and theme park industry returns back to normal, stable pace.

1. In what ways is it an understandable and needed decision. Chessington, Thorpe Park and Legoland aren't closing at 4pm. The park has very healthy attendence mid-week, especially compared to Chessington.2. When would Alton Towers ever be in a position where they wouldn't be able to open the park at all? It's been continous opening from March - October for donkeys years.3. Economic and Theme Park industry returns to normal. Again, no other park in the country is closing so early. No park in Europe decides to close after only 6 hours of operation.What they've done is increased prices whilst reducing the hours. So the price per hour has risen far more then usual and people are getting far less for their hard earned cash. I'd have preferred losing Submission and Enterprise for a season or losing ERT rather then losing an entire hour in the afternoon.

[Sidders]

Okay guys, I think Liam's argument boiled down to "Better open for fewer hours than close the park/individual rides on certain days (or the whole season, in what would be Submission and Enterprise's case)" or something similar. But to be perfectly honest it's up to personal decision whether the closure of half of X-Sector for a season is better than a lost hour for the whole season.I haven't been to Alton in years, so I guess I'm in no position to call it really, having not been since 2002.I can only hope I paraphrased that right. :PEven so, Mark puts this into crystal clear perspective in the last paragraph of the above post. It's quite ridiculous really.

[Ricky]

I would still stress the fact that Alton Towers is in the middle of nowhere and is not worth travelling anymore than 45/60 minutes for if the operational hours are 6 hours or less.

[Deleted Users]

This is a rather bizarre decision because it means that Merlin sees opening park for an extra hour is losing them money.Firstly, there's the whole value for money thing which has already been mentioned. Then there's the problem of confusion, just like the 'simplicity' of showing prices without VAT, VAT separately and price plus VAT. Guests don't want complication on a day which focuses on escapism. Then there's the who attitude taken to this. When Animal Kingdom used to bleed guests in the afternoon, they created a new evening show in an attempt to retain guests. People will stay in the summer if there is an incentive to.

[AstroDan]

There are quite a lot of negative posts appearing on their Facebook wall now. Unlike the likes of Chessington and Thorpe, people travel from all over the UK to visit Alton Towers. For six hours, it's not worth the journey.

[Fred]

I too would rather they should scrap ERT on school term time days. On these days, hotel guests should receive a free Fastrack Scream.

Sod that, they shouldn't do fastrack at all on offpeak days. How about doing the simple thing of having reduced hotel prices during that period? Oh wait, they already do.Very miffed about these opening hours, really hope they don't last.

[AdamY]

Obviously a difficult situation this year with no easy solution, but I can't help feeling this is one of the worse options Alton could have gone for. Although having said that, they are at least +2 attractions and losing an hour on some days, Thorpe are actually minus CCR and Time Voyagers, and sometimes Saw Alive, so overall -1 or -2 and losing some hours.

[Fred]

Yes, but they're minor attractions, and at least the park has a minimum close of 5pm.

[Benin]

Minus CCR, Time Voyagers, but on the other hand have a brand new B&M, which I'm sure will balance it out...Who seriously cares about Time Voyagers being shut?

[AdamY]

True, just meant I hadn't thought before Alton have suffered hours cuts but didn't close the rides they planned to, while we've taken hours cuts eg Fright Nights as well as attraction closures.On balance though, you're right. Think I'm happy ;)Edit - just been looking at the Towers Facebook page!Angry GP is very angry!

[Liam T]

Their reactions are pathetic. I bet half of them didn't know Alton Towers even closed at 5pm in the first place. :PAlton Towers heard from the GP and enthusiasts alike that closing Submission and Enterprise - two thirds of X Sector - is a no no so they needed to cut somewhere else and they did, but of course, that's even worse - they've got their own meme now!People are making it sound like they're closing at 4pm every day but they're not always closing that early; they mightn't close it if it is busy at 4pm. Its disappointing people have acted like this.

[Deleted Users]

You make it sound like the park is in dire financial problems.

[Fred]

You're making it sound like the park usually makes losses. Oh wait..But that's no excuse for 4pm ride closes. This is ridiculous. Even the smaller independant parks are open longer.

[Flipper]

You make it sound like the park is in dire financial problems.

You'd be surprised. I'm guessing by your remark you haven't seen Merlin's Theme Park attendance figures for 2011? Towers fell on attendance more than any other UK park; and its quite clear cuts have been made throughout Merlin Theme Parks. Time voyagers gone, SAW: Alive only on peak days, reduced park time by one hour (oh my god, how will we live, one hour even though with ERT which 90% of guests can get makes its opening time the same as Thorpe's).If I'm not mistaken Chessie stayed steady and Lego saw a slight increase. Thorpe and Towers definitely saw a decrease of some size in guest figures.

[thorpeparkjack]

I heard towers droped from 3 million to 2 million. That sounds like pure bull**** to me though, 1 million guests lost in a year is virtually impossible.

[AstroDan]

There is too much to do at Alton Towers, even on a quieter day, for them to close at 4:00pm.A quiet day at Alton - say 4 or 5,000 guests - is a massive number of guests compared to a quiet day at most parks, who manage to stay open until at least 5.00pm.There is the odd person claiming everyone moaning is pathetic, but I am sure if Thorpe announced they were closing at 4:00pm on 65 days of the year (it's 65, I have counted) - then you wouldn't be too happy at that.

[Flipper]

There is the odd person claiming everyone moaning is pathetic, but I am sure if Thorpe announced they were closing at 4:00pm on 65 days of the year (it's 65, I have counted) - then you wouldn't be too happy at that.

You asked it honestly and I will reply honestly: it wouldn't bother me.I have an annual pass so if Thorpe shut at 4pm I wouldn't mind too much; and if I was paying, I'd probably either go on a busier but later opening day, or on a 4pm close because it'd be quiet.The point is, you can do one on everything quite easily on a outlined day for 4pm close; I've done it. And with the ERT also, it makes it the equivalent as Thorpe's 10am-5pm opening; so would you rather it be 10am-5pm with no ERT, or 10am-4pm with ERT? :L

[AstroDan]

Fair enough, but Alton is a national theme park. Thorpe is regional. Average journey times to Alton will be considerably longer, including many Scots who set out at 3:00am, for example. The park gets a lot more guests. The park has more rides. The park is gigantic in surface area compared to others in Britain.ERT is not available to all guests - and certainly not to the majority who use vouchers on the day.If 4:00pm was OK for most people, then all parks would close at that time. None do.

[Benin]

With the ERT...What if you DON'T get ERT?From the average guest perspective, what if they CAN'T go during busier days? Or just don't want to? What if you can't get up to Towers for 9am in the morning?It's just poor show, especially when EVERY OTHER PARK IN THE COUNTRY closes at 5pm...As I said before, I would rather on offpeak days they remove the ERT and keep the 5pm time... That'll please the majority of normal guests paying on the gate... And means that they don't have to keep the costs up due to 5 people in the park for an hour...

[Mark9]

The point is, you can do one on everything quite easily on a outlined day for 4pm close; I've done it. And with the ERT also, it makes it the equivalent as Thorpe's 10am-5pm opening; so would you rather it be 10am-5pm with no ERT, or 10am-4pm with ERT? :L

Mmmm. Yes if you outline your day you probably could get on the majority. But you shouldn't have to plan your day to absolute military precision. I struggle to do all the major rollercoasters in a day even when using ERT and I bet the majority do to. I really don't think there is a way of doing the five major coasters, every single flat ride, water ride and dark ride in one day, as well as seeing the sea life centre and the shows and using the skyride across the gardens. With the 4pm close there's just no way you can do that especially with only a five hour window to get on rapids and unplugged.Comparisons to Thorpe are silly really, Thorpe is ridiculously easy to do on a quiet day and really isn't on the same scale.

[Flipper]

So you all argue it's not possible to have a satisfactory day out with or without ERT on a six hour day?So how the fudge can you claim an hour makes a difference?!If your going to Towers, you'll make the judgement on the day based upon the opening times. If you don't use a voucher, most people buy online and get the ERT, and if you do use a voucher, £20 for a six hour day is pretty reasonable, considering your longest queue would be fifteen minutes...Only enthusiasts seem to moan to the extreme. I guarantee now, people will still go, and nobody will complain about their visit and say "They didn't have enough time" because it's a bloody hour! It makes such a small impact it's ridiculous.Argue this amongst yourself. Because in fairness, I'm trying to look at it from an unbiased viewpoint and some of your excuses are quite poor. Towers is a national RESORT - if people are going to make journeys from 3am from Scotland, lets not beat around the bush, there's a minority of day trippers. And for a lot of England residents, Thorpe, Chessington, LegoLand are all national. Not to the same kind of gate figures - Towers is the most popular - but they still attract custom from all over the UK, so AstroDan your argument is biased.

[AstroDan]

It is not.Categorically, I am 100% certain that Alton Towers market/pitch themselves as a national theme park - with advertisements and releases across the UK.This is simply not the case for Thorpe Park or Chessington (Legoland is national - the brand demands it alone). Of course, that is not to say that people do not drive to London from the Midlands for a day at a theme park - but it is far less than the number of people travelling in the opposite direction.

[Fred]

Alton Towers markets itself as a national theme park. You'll see towers adverts everywhere. You rarely, if ever, see thorpe adverts (let alone chessington) up here.. purely because they're a local park.It makes a huge difference to a day whether it's 4pm or 5pm. Huge difference. And let's not kid ourselves, the parks aren't as quiet as the old 4pm days. You will get queues longer than 15mins on majority of these days (that's if people turn up after realising the ridiculously short hours).Gives drayton manor a good chance though, their earliest ride close is 430 I believe?

[AdamY]

Got overtaken while writing, @ Rob:How can you say "only enthusiasts" when their Facebook is bursting with enraged customers? I personally saw one woman saying how she was on the point of booking a short break, then saw all this furore and decided to scrap the whole thing. If there's one thing people are hot on it's value for money, and this is most certainly not it.

[Mark9]

Only enthusiasts seem to moan to the extreme. I guarantee now, people will still go, and nobody will complain about their visit and say "They didn't have enough time" because it's a bloody hour! It makes such a small impact it's ridiculous.Argue this amongst yourself. Because in fairness, I'm trying to look at it from an unbiased viewpoint and some of your excuses are quite poor. Towers is a national RESORT - if people are going to make journeys from 3am from Scotland, lets not beat around the bush, there's a minority of day trippers. And for a lot of England residents, Thorpe, Chessington, LegoLand are all national. Not to the same kind of gate figures - Towers is the most popular - but they still attract custom from all over the UK, so AstroDan your argument is biased.

Well yeah, we like theme parks so if time is cut short by an hour, it does make an impact on the day so to speak. What used to be 7 hours is now 6. Thing is though.. I'm a bit confused why you're taking an unbiased viewpoint. You like having a shorter day in the park? You prefer rushing around and not appreciating the park, instead trying to fit in x y and z in a shorter amount of time? Guests want value for money and the park this year on 65 days (thanks Astro) is offering less for more.I mean the ERT, It's a brilliant benefit but due to how to they've done it, you have to revisit all the areas anyway to get on Thirteen and Air (depending on which rides you go for during the ERT hour). So with that extra hour, you spend a good 30 minutes of it strolling around the park.