Minor Issues: A Rant

[AstroDan]

Today on the theme park I happened to notice several things which I really don't think should be happening at the theme park - as they have a subtle impact (in a negative way) on the majority of guests experience.

Alton Towers has taken many strides in the past 3 years to improve its image, park atmosphere and quality. However, there are some (small) things which they reall should change - and it wouldn't take much.

1 > Queue Line TV's
Hundreds of thousands of pounds is spent theming rides and attractions, and on the audio for the ride. Therefore, it seems stupid to allow generic pop/rock/rnb music to blast out of the speakers. How does this add to the "theme" of Katanga Canyon which, in 1992, Tussauds worked so hard to create? How does it "fit in" to the theme of Nemesis? Why should it create a racket over the Thunder Rock Rally playlist in Ug Land? And the same goes for Oblivion. Countless rides at Alton Towers now have this racket in the queueline's and it's bloody awful if you ask me! Turn the sounds OFF!

2 > Monorail Queue time "advice"
If Alton Towers don't want a queue for the Monorail at the end of the day, then why bother painting the cattle pens? I arrived at the station to be informed that the queue was "30 to 35 minutes". It's not the first time either - someone from Welcome often informs guests of such a queue. However, when you turn LEFT inside and go straight up to the platform - the wait is not more than 10 minutes. Even if ALL cattle pens are open, the wait is 20-25 minutes. Why do they blatantly lie to the waiting guests?! The Monorail is just what people want to carry their weary legs back to the car parks...! Telling guests there's a queue four times longer in duration that what it really is seems silly...! Also, open the cattle pens! Why have them and not use them!?! If you have 15,000+ on park as I believe was the case today, surely they should be open.

3 > Disabled Re-Rides
How is it fair that today on Heave Ho, that with a queue of 15 mins, disabled children were able to re-ride wihtout even leaving their seats!? Surely they should have to wait one ride cycle. This is just blatant abuse of the system. They same can be said of Spinball Whizzer. The queue for the ride was 45 minutes, yet Disabled guests were riding via the exit, getting off, and then waiting again immediately. It's just NOT FAIR! You don't get this abroad and it shouldn't happen here. Isn't there a fairer system...? I saw a group of about 30 going down the Rapids exit at one stage...!

So yes... /RANT

[Vik]

Lol at the monorail staff saying the queue time as 30-35 minutes. In actual fact from queueing up to get off at the hotel/car park station was 12 minutes.

Also, one other thing. Again, there appears to be little effort to play the audio on the monorail. Seems to be hit and miss as to wether it is played or not. Surely the audio can't still be broken on some of the trains?

The situation on the rapids today was a joke. Scores of people waiting on the exit stairs, to get on the ride, which prevented people who had ridden already to get off the turntable. Eventually this resulted in a huge number of people standing on the turntable (in excess on 5 or 6 full boats worth of people), unable to get past those waiting at the exit to get on, thus the turntable had to be stopped. The queueing policy of this ride, due to its narrow exit needs to be reviewed.

[CoasterCrazyChris]

It's what, unfortunately, separates Alton Towers from an Excellent theme park to just a Very Good theme park. The minor touches. The professionalism. The cherry on the cake....or whatever you call it.
They are easy to correct but its just infuriatingly niggling when they havent spent the time (mostly because they're plain lazy, sometimes they don't notice them, or they do but don't think they're a problem) to do so. It doesn't need to be said again really, but average "joe" guests, once a year visitors DO pick up on it.


...That's my little rant over! :P

[Rob L]

I completely agree about the queueline TVs, they blast out the music really loud and it completely ruins the atmosphere and theme of whatever area you are in. I'm sure there are much better uses for them, if I'm at a theme park I don't particularly want to be listening to this music I hear everywhere else, I want to be immersed in the theme. If Alton insist on having them, then they could at least show something relating to the ride that that you are queueing for.

[Wes]

The TVs have ALWAYS gotten on my rack.


I've always thought they should be themed around the rides, with themed audio to match the area and that.

[AstroDan]

The TV's amount to nothing more than the annoying Chav at the back of the bus who won't play their iPhone on quiet or through headphones.

[Jon]

The T.V issue I deffinatly agree with. It's an insult that they are there in the first place as they are ugly and obtrusive.

- Ugly and obtrusive in its bare shell.
- Generic adverts and music videos played detract so much from the atmosphere of the ride and park in general by allowing the outside world to seep in.
- Though the Merlin adverts are a little more relavant, I still don't like them. When I'm enjoying my day out, I want to be 100% in the moment not planning the next one at a different themepark.
- The noises they make conflict with area noises. Smooth continuity should be strived for when making a guest's experience on a ride magical. The same noises throughout the queue unless there is an intended change. Thankyou.
- A lot of them just have "advertise here" or are broken. This is pretty crappy and annoying as well.
-The ones in Spinball's queue have a speaker broken that makes a HORRIBLE whining sound. At least I think that is the speakers.

The monorail situation, though annoying, I don't think this is 100% on purpose. Perhaps there was a big queue before you arrived and the guy had been told to stand there and rant about it. Maybe he just carried on and forgot to check on the queue? I've left the park several times and the queue has been large and a guy has been standing there saying "30 minute queue, 15 minute walk"

The disabled situation is quite an annoying one. There was a topic (last year?) that discussed quite deeply the delicacy of the situation. I don't have a problem with those less fortunate having a queueless ride. But the fact that the system is selfishly abused like that? Especially when Alton are so stringent on the rule that prevents rerides of regular guests (I.e, asking to stay on the ride again is not permitted even if there's no queue)

[Rowe]

I hate that they put unrelated music on the TVs with awful adverts on repeat, always gets on my nerves. They should be playing their specifically, tailor made soundtracks, not Kaiser Chiefs or Ne-Yo at all!

[Vik]

The monorail situation, though annoying, I don't think this is 100% on purpose. Perhaps there was a big queue before you arrived and the guy had been told to stand there and rant about it. Maybe he just carried on and forgot to check on the queue? I've left the park several times and the queue has been large and a guy has been standing there saying "30 minute queue, 15 minute walk"

Not quite, the queue was at the monorail entrance, and the cattle pens were not being used. The lady giving out the advice that the queue was 30-35 minutes was asked if she was sure, and she said 'yes, as the queue line is full inside the station', so it will be 30 minutes or more'. I know they always exagerate the monorail queue, but to say a 5 minute queue is 30 - 35 minutes really is taking it a bit to far.

[Jon]

Ohhh I understand now. Yeah that needs to be addressed. Simple misunderstanding I would have thought. Probably in the habit of seeing it full and thinking it's 30minutes.

[BIan]

The disabled quest issue could easily be solved by implementing the Q-Bot system as used by Legoland. This could be a free service for disabled guests.

Basically it works by the user picking a ride. It then looks on the system for the current queue time for that ride, and allocates a time the user can go back to the ride. This would be the same time, as if the user joined the queue, but when the time comes up, they can make there way to the exit to enter.

Ian

[James]

It's weird about the cattle pens for the monorail as last week we had to go through the cattle pens when there was NO queue and the staff member told us to go down there when we went through the entrance.

[badger]

Totaly agree about the TV in queue lines. They are pointless and distract from the theming.
As for other niggles....nine times out of ten it's down to operators forgetfulness. Forgetting to turn off lights or forgetting to turn them on etc. This is the same for the audio system in the monorail trains. A simple press of a button is all that is required.

[Voni86]

I can't believe the disabled guests were getting re rides. I visit with a disabled mate and we make a point to NEVER ride the same ride twice. It's unfair on those who have to queue and is just plain selfish. Why were the staff letting them have extra rides?

[Dormiens-Dave]

E-mail Alton Towers its the only way they will know there is an issue

[James]

It's better to write Alton a letter as they usually take more notice then, in fact I'm sending a letter to them soon concerning Burger King staff and the hotel entertainment.

[fiona2468]

We witnessed a similar problem. There was a gang with priority passes who were on Blade, and when the ride finished they got off and just went onto different seats.

There was nearly a riot in the queue, and the ride operator did and said nothing and neither did staff who were assisting with loading the ride

There was a lot of upset people there!

[Ash]

Riot on Blade? Find that hard to believe as it doesnt have people assisting to load the ride, ever!?

Unless it was someone training which in that case they would be in the cabin

[fiona2468]

No, i did not say a riot ON blade. I said the poor buggers in the queue kicked up a fuss due to the priority pass holders getting off and getting it again with out queing.

Im not a lier, I saw what I saw.

[leighton132]

Slightly off topic here but:
When I went to Thorpe Park, on the Colossus queue line screens, there was an advert saying something like "text the song title and artist you want us to play". So i'm not sure if Alton are doing the same thing.