Alton Towers

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

RE: Alton Towers

MattyH · Passionate about Pleasurewood

How long until it breaks again?

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

The Smiler: Wow.

It's just what Towers needed. Incredibly thrilling, very forceful in places and thoroughly enjoyable. It's no Nemesis beater though and the final 3 inversions are rough as hell (although the very last one is an insane feeling). The airtime hill in the second half of the ride provides some incredible forces too.

It's a really fun ride, with the first half being better than the second. The restraints do pin you a bit in the crotch area which is slightly uncomfortable though :P

Also very good are the shop and the indoor parts of the queue. There is some cool projection mapping in the indoor queue and the exit corridors feature some great optical illusions. The shop uses augmented reality in places which is fun, though the glass floor is a waste of time.

I really rate the ride and it is so worth the wait! However, Nemesis is still the Queen!

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Will Nemesis ever be topped? I can't see it happening myself.

at Alton Towers that is.

-- Edited by Josh on Thursday 6th of June 2013 09:12:11 AM

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Must admit think nemesis will take some shifting,,,,that first drop I love it...hoping to head up in september when it will hopefully be quiter

Bubbles · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Never been on Nemesis, but just from pics and video I can tell it's not as good as The Snake in the grass....

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

lol

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

Josh wrote:
Will Nemesis ever be topped? I can't see it happening myself.
at Alton Towers that is.

-- Edited by Josh on Thursday 6th of June 2013 09:12:11 AM

Or in the UK full stop tbh.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

seems sonic spinball may be on the move from alton to thorpe or somewhere else....

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Where's this come from?

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

been reading it on thorpe park mania...its also apprantly in altons future 2 year plan or something to move it anyway...

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

It's on the Long Term Development Plan... Doubt they'll ever move it within the park. Doubt it would go to Thorpe either tbh. It'll just go sometime, though I think it has a few years left.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

I like the ride although always feel unsafe at the real high bit - hard to explain what part I mean

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

That's a common feeling on a Maurer ;)

Martyn · Passionate about Pleasurewood

It's a better coaster to watch, than ride.

So glad it was smooth though, I was really worried about that...

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Had yesterday at Alton Towers..... a great day...

9am early ride time and so did Nemesis 3 times in a row.....superb...

over to Smiler and the main public were being held back near the lake and we entered and waited....made me feel quite dizzy walking through it all as the overhead grid bits were almost as tall as me...excellent theming into the station and then it was a bag handover and up the stairs...great first bit of the ride and then it was up and away...excellent ride I thought it was very smooth.....Brilliant

Oblivion - long ole way up that hill but a great ride still

Hex was next and there was no wait the exit was into the kids area as the towers was closed for screamfest work

Rita - no wait but we wanted front row - worth the wait but very rough in places I felt and the whole thing does not look right in its dark forest theme.... Infact I think the whole area looks a bit too dark.....

No wait for Thirteen ( forgot about the first drop ) !!

Air was quite quick and a larger lady had to be removed as the restraints would not close...she was given a priority pass....

Dinner in pasta and pizza buffet...very nice.....

runaway mine train was rough and dual was fun as always

Did all main coasters again in the afternoon - most especially nemesis and thirteen were walk on...... smiler by the end of the day was about a 40 min wait.....

All Mcdonalds have been removed and its "the burger company" Merlins new units in all these now. So alton now has only its own catering units.

Worth noting the 20% off for MAP seems to be back on ride photography...sure it was not last year when I went

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Nice review my good man. Did you do Sub Terra? I feel the dark forest area is a bit messy, whilst the theming on Thirteen us excellent; Rita is let down by its half hearted makeover. Rita is a good ride but let down by it being just plonked in the area with no thought. Dark Forest has got potential, it needs another ride and just tidying up a bit.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

no choose not to do sub terra as mate wasnt that fussed and i wasnt..plus there was no wait for it so it would have been a crap go with so few people...yeh rita is amazing but it does look crap in the dark forest and the queen of speed name seems to have completely gone too..

You say rita was plonked well it was there first..

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

I know but when it was put there in 05 they bought an off the shelf model and just made it fit. It didn't fit with the dinosaur theme then and doesn't fit with the theme now. It was in Tussauds final years which gave us that and Spinball...the park's two most unimaginative rides of recent.

A good ride but a bespoke ride with some thought would have been better for a park like Alton. Plans a few years prior for a broomstick ride in Gloomy Wood would have been better IMO.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

I think sonic is a good ride

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Sonic is a good ride and so is Rita but there was just no imagination put into them. Spinball is a great fairground ride put into a theme park. It should have been at worst on par with Dragon's Fury at Chessington which is a much better example of how an MS Spinning coaster should be in a theme park. Or like Crush's coaster at DLP. I wonder what plans are afoot for the retheme of that area next season and if Sonic features in them.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

yes agree with the theme, well there are new planning applications in for that area and who knows...

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

www.scotsman.com/business/media-tech-leisure/alton-towers-owner-eyes-london-flotation-1-3149323

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Great news on Cbeebies land. With Drayton having Thomas, BPPB having Nickelodeon and Paultons having Peppa Pig it was the only way AT could go really. CBeebies has some wonderful characters so I think it will be a fantastic land, I look forward to taking Bella there.

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-24794468

Josh · Passionate about Pleasurewood

Something big is up with The Smiler. To have as many incidents as it has had is not on. So whose responsibility are these probs? AT's? Gerst's? Construnction company's?

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

I would not say Merlin are at fault

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

48 pound entry on the gate for alton in 2014

mrbrightside · Exceptionally Expressive

£24 with BOGOFs then :P

Just realised I never posted the 2013 fireworks in here... Majestic display and it was a simply stunning couple of evenings to spend on park. If you ever get the chance... go!

Or if you have a spare 20 mins watch this: www.youtube.com/watch

coolskin · Passionate about Pleasurewood

i would love too but it will be so busy it spoils waiting for the rides