Park opening hours have received a tweak...

 

-10:30am openings are now 10am.  

-4:30pm closes are now 4pm.

 

Dark Forest, Cloud Cuckoo Land and Hex are advertised to open at 10:30am every day.

So the 10-4 days they're saving even more money than they were as 10:30-4:30 days with the staggered opening, and in the summer we have 10-6 openings. Still not great but considering that's all Thorpe and Chessington are doing this year we can just moan at Merlin for that.

 

Being Towers management must be a horrid job these days, a shoe string budget and complaints left right and centre. Constant decision reversals, no steps forwards and a million back.

 

To make money you have to invest money. Please realise this Merlin.

Well it's an improvement at least.

 

Beats wandering around a half closed theme park I guess.

 

Legoland Windsor apparently isn't going beyond 6pm for closing times, so Merlin problems galore continue again!

The Nemesis monster is being finished 

As well as the Smiler track being cleaned and supports repainted 

And Golf is getting some TLC too

I like to think this is serious whether it actually is or not 

 

Looks like I need to eat my hat! The refurbishment of the Nemesis alien is exemplary of how these attractions should be refurbished - remaining true to the original intention whilst injecting a visible lease of new life. I'd hope for the surrounding Nemesis theming to get the same kind of treatment, but unfortunately it's unlikely (why replace rusty scenery when it's meant to be rusty?).

Bring back the Nemesis Nosh bus!

Well I'll be a hairless monkey's left toe. The Smiler will actually look less brown this year.

Lots going on with Hex of recent  This is exciting to see! Can't wait to get back on it   Love that they're working on the Duel entrance sign and crypt too, as well as the Smiler and Nemesis improvements of course  

 

 

I have yet to ride Hex! (Every time I went to AT, I kind of assumed it was just another Madhouse).

 

At least it will be in great condition on my first ride 

It's quite interesting so far to see the team showcasing us the progress on the armoury, entrance and vault but none for the octagon, which arguably needs the most attention with fixed effects and lighting. Wonder why?

Regardless, this is all great stuff we're seeing so far and that image showing the difference between the cleaned and yet-to-be cleaned tiles makes you wonder why it was left untouched for the last 16+ years and nothing until now was done about it.

1 hour ago, 'Airtime Falcon' said:

I have yet to ride Hex! (Every time I went to AT, I kind of assumed it was just another Madhouse).

 

At least it will be in great condition on my first ride 

 

Ah Hex is brilliant and I really missed it last year so glad to hear it's back this season.  Although I did feel like a prize plonker when I first went on it - I just assumed it was a nice sit down then I got confused with the bars coming down - then I felt a tad sick - love it though!

9 hours ago, 'Airtime Falcon' said:

I have yet to ride Hex! (Every time I went to AT, I kind of assumed it was just another Madhouse).

 

At least it will be in great condition on my first ride 

Neither have I, I remember when I first visited Towers (2013, before I was really an enthusiast) and hearing the music and reading the restriction boards I thought it was some kind of terrifying horror ride and didn't sleep much that night because part of me genuinely thought "Hex will get me" 

I've made my views on TLC clear in the past, but on a positive note, it is really good to see that Towers have spent the money to get scenic artists in for the likes of Hex and Nemesis.  It's easy to forget that that costs a lot of money and isn't really something we've seen in a very long for general upkeep of rides at Merlin parks.

They've seem to done a fair bit of TLC over the closed season which is good! 

I'm generally very happy with the TLC and update work the park have been doing doing recently, especially on things like Hex and Towers Street which is bringing done much needed freshness back into the park.

 

See the Hex signs for example which looks much better.

Source-Towers Loving Care

I'll be interested to ride Hex after its refurbishments - I first rode it in 2009 and, apart from the parking issues, have never noticed much deterioration in the whole experience (not sure if it mostly occurred before then?). Those signs are a good example - I never noticed them being faded to begin with, so good on them for taking the effort to replace them.

Signs are looking great, really looking forward to getting back on Hex this year!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4289824/Alton-Towers-worker-injured-using-machinery.html?ito=social-twitter_dailymailUK

 

For those who don't want to click:

and yes, they obviously mentioned The Smiler 

 

Whenever I feel like my life is headed nowhere and that my work is pointless, I remember that people who write these exist.

In other news, the pathway from Mutiny Bay to Katanga Canyon is apparently closed for SW8 meaning you have to go through Haunted Hollow. Which is good for families isn't it?

Vicky Balch got anything to say on the matter?

17 hours ago, ChessingtonSam said:

In other news, the pathway from Mutiny Bay to Katanga Canyon is apparently closed for SW8 meaning you have to go through Haunted Hollow. Which is good for families isn't it?

 

To be honest, most of the creepier Haunted Hollow stuff requires active participation (e.g. going into the mirror chamber, looking into the sarcophagus), and the route will probably feel much less spooky with hordes of families heading through it to Katanga Canyon. 

On 7 March 2017 at 6:52 PM, MattyMoo said:

Vicky Balch got anything to say on the matter?

 

Oh give it time - I'm sure she'll crop up somewhere

I was wrong - you don't have to walk through Haunted Hollow.

Smiler, Rita, Galactica and Thirteen are all shut today.

EDIT And now the Rapids. Good first day.