Stuntman707 Posted January 13, 2018 Report Share Posted January 13, 2018 It’s a shame actually that Merlin assumed that John Wardley was consulting with Magic Making on SW8 when he wasn’t involved for the most part. (They assumed MMM had invited him to look over the project) He said that by the time he looked over the plans, the foundations had already been designed at that point. He thought the track layout wasn’t great and made improvements on No Limits which Magic Making and GCI both conceded were an improvement. GCI agreed to change the foundations for the first two drops, so expect the first part of the ride to be good and the rest is all Magic Making’s responsibility! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Here's some nice pictures from Attraction Images: And a ground-level shot from 'therollercoasterproject' on Instagram: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Cheeky little train nosing its way out of the station three! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted January 15, 2018 Report Share Posted January 15, 2018 Have to say - the shot of the theming centrepiece there - it does look quite impressive! alexander 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Towers Street are now reporting that the Smokehouse restaurant, which was meant to open on the courtyard this year, will not be built for 2018. The Welcoming, which used the location, is still fully built and Scare Tour are of the understanding that the maze will return in largely the same location for 2018's Scarefest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 I don't understand half the decisions made by Merlin parks right now... A brand new sit down eatery (that's been closed all last year anyway) would be so useful given how popular the area will be, but... For some reason, nah... Poor show... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coaster Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 Strange decision, especially considering The welcoming was terrible! I still don't understand why they removed Courtyard BBQ, it was the best place to eat at Alton IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshuaA Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 I really enjoyed The Welcoming but in the long-term I think its going to really hurt them with the loss of a food-place in a quite popular area (probably going to be quite crowded in that area due to Wicker Man) I do find it a tad odd though as Alton have bucket loads of spare space to house scare attractions.. A restaurant probably would of been a better long-term use of the space as they could of easily re-homed The Welcoming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 236 Posted January 16, 2018 Report Share Posted January 16, 2018 This move is somewhat disappointing but somewhat not surprising really. Missed opportunity though with all the guests flocking to that area for Wicker. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 15 hours ago, Coaster said: Strange decision, especially considering The welcoming was terrible! I still don't understand why they removed Courtyard BBQ, it was the best place to eat at Alton IMO. Woodcutters though (though Courtyard was good when they actually had a pirate show). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetEchoes Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 On 16/01/2018 at 10:06 AM, Benin said: I don't understand half the decisions made by Merlin parks right now... A brand new sit down eatery (that's been closed all last year anyway) would be so useful given how popular the area will be, but... For some reason, nah... Poor show... Suppose its all about money and CAPEX. If they spent it all, they cant afford to create the resturant, so its not on the map this year. Already hyped up the coaster, so have to prioritise spending on that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexander Posted January 17, 2018 Report Share Posted January 17, 2018 pretty pics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveJ Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 On 17/01/2018 at 11:14 AM, qzzb_uk said: Suppose its all about money and CAPEX. If they spent it all, they cant afford to create the resturant, so its not on the map this year. Already hyped up the coaster, so have to prioritise spending on that? But if I read the situation correctly, theyve actually budgeted for a restaurant and then cut it, so only if they've gone far over budget on the coaster would this make sense. Hopefully it wasn't just another budgeting trick to have a side project granted budget from Merlin's financiers that Alton Towers can then 'conveniently' cancel and use the money elsewhere? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoshC. Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 Be interesting to see if The Welcoming opens during the main season at all. Logic being that they advertise a family coaster with a heavy theme, and for those wanting the extra scary factor, they can experience the maze. Stops the thrill seekers being as disappointed that way. Then open the Smokehouse in 2019. Doubt it'll happen (except maybe on the odd special day), but doesn't seem out of the realm of possibilty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GetEchoes Posted January 18, 2018 Report Share Posted January 18, 2018 27 minutes ago, Wumbamillio said: But if I read the situation correctly, theyve actually budgeted for a restaurant and then cut it, so only if they've gone far over budget on the coaster would this make sense. Hopefully it wasn't just another budgeting trick to have a side project granted budget from Merlin's financiers that Alton Towers can then 'conveniently' cancel and use the money elsewhere? Could be that the budget had to be diverted to unexpected maintenace on a ride or operational expenses. Only one who really knows would be their CFO! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeah Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Guys... We have footage... Actual on ride footage (and the Wicker Man himself)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Can’t fault the marketing for this, good to see a small bit of on ride footage too! Looking forward to trying this out when it opens! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yeah Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Video was apparently uploaded prematurely, and Towers have asked TTSP to take it down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPC Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Did anyone download it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 27 minutes ago, TPC said: Did anyone download it? Posted by TowersLover on TowersStreet https://youtu.be/uU9aHixVS08 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pluk Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 It contains about 2 seconds of POV. Doesn't seem like much, but it's about a quarter of the total ride time. JoshuaA, Kerfuffle, Coaster and 6 others 5 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted January 19, 2018 Report Share Posted January 19, 2018 Merlin in "accidental leak" shocker. Again. Zzzzzzzzz.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ringo Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 From TowersStreet Quote So, I submitted the ASA complaint, as I thought the initial marketing announcement a couple of weeks ago was false. Wicker Man is NOT the first rollercoaster to fuse wood with fire. The ASA agreed, and have instructed Alton Towers to take appropriate action and remove these false claims.Now, Alton will have to sell a rollercoaster as a rollercoaster, without false Worlds First claims that simply are not true. They're better than that! CharlieN 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benin Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 Equal parts hilarious (cos Merlin/Towers have been told off) and embarrassing (cos a goon actually full on complained)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattyMoo Posted January 26, 2018 Report Share Posted January 26, 2018 What Benin said. I can't believe someone could be bothered to do that - but then, at the same time - hashtag enthusiasts - so nothing surprises me 2018 continues to get more bizarre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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