I imagine balanced comments get listened to more-so than heated ones
Scarefest 2011: General Discussion
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Dormiens-Dave
If theres one thing you can say for Alton Towers its that they do listen, we do have to try and be a bit more level headed at times instead of the Ash and Brimstone responce we often end up doing when things are maybe not quite as we want.
I imagine balanced comments get listened to more-so than heated ones
I imagine balanced comments get listened to more-so than heated ones
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PeteB
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[quote=""Dormiens-Dave""]If theres one thing you can say for Alton Towers its that they do listen, we do have to try and be a bit more level headed at times instead of the Ash and Brimstone responce we often end up doing when things are maybe not quite as we want.
I imagine balanced comments get listened to more-so than heated ones[/quote]
I respectfully disagree. It's nice to be able to vent our emotions sometimes, rather than "keeping calm" all of the time like we're "told" to.
It's only because we're passionate about the park. They understand that.
I imagine balanced comments get listened to more-so than heated ones
[/quote]I respectfully disagree. It's nice to be able to vent our emotions sometimes, rather than "keeping calm" all of the time like we're "told" to.
It's only because we're passionate about the park. They understand that.
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Dormiens-Dave
Its not about keeping calm, nor venting emotions its just keeping things critical i think makes a better review than saying "Die [insert relevant resort person here] Die". Those sort of reviews wouldn't impress me if i was reading from within the resort.
Balanced debate is always i think appreciated by the people in resort who look at these things. I for one would like to reiterate that the family/ kids stuff this year is better than any year previous and that was one thing we have always moaned about since the loss of Patches pumkin thingie. That doesn't mean we shouldn't highlight the faults though
Balanced debate is always i think appreciated by the people in resort who look at these things. I for one would like to reiterate that the family/ kids stuff this year is better than any year previous and that was one thing we have always moaned about since the loss of Patches pumkin thingie. That doesn't mean we shouldn't highlight the faults though
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Islander
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[quote=""Nathan""]You'll be pleased to hear that more lighting has gone up.
I believe Nemesis is back to being red too.[/quote]
Well, pleased from the point of view that any improvement can only be good, but actually rather angry from the point of view that I, and anyone else who visited last weekend and can't visit again, didn't get to see it.
Complete shambles.
I believe Nemesis is back to being red too.[/quote]
Well, pleased from the point of view that any improvement can only be good, but actually rather angry from the point of view that I, and anyone else who visited last weekend and can't visit again, didn't get to see it.
Complete shambles.
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[Archive]
It's very understandable how people can feel disappointed/angry by the lack of effort in Scarefest this year. But all this complaining...
I mean really, the hotel gets a themed door and we all rejoice. But if Nemesis doesn't get its red lights then we start calling for the park management to be fired and of course start using "Merlin" as a punchbag again. (Merlin, by the way, is a huge business based in [s:1h2nhc69]London[/s:1h2nhc69] Poole and has little to no control over the aesthetics of Alton Towers at all).
By the sounds of it, Scarefest is very tame compared to previous years, and I myself feel slightly disheartened that Alton Towers would think of going ahead without the setup being finished. However, should that really result in another TTF angry mob?
I mean really, the hotel gets a themed door and we all rejoice. But if Nemesis doesn't get its red lights then we start calling for the park management to be fired and of course start using "Merlin" as a punchbag again. (Merlin, by the way, is a huge business based in [s:1h2nhc69]London[/s:1h2nhc69] Poole and has little to no control over the aesthetics of Alton Towers at all).
By the sounds of it, Scarefest is very tame compared to previous years, and I myself feel slightly disheartened that Alton Towers would think of going ahead without the setup being finished. However, should that really result in another TTF angry mob?
Last edited by [Archive] on Thu Oct 20, 2011 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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corkscru74
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Got back last night from my two days at Scarefest and thought I'd give my reactions as a first timer:
Hotels: We stayed in the AT Hotel and, while the rooms weren't decorated, the main lobby and gardens were. Pumpkin/Scarecrow men were scattered around and various themeing throughout the public areas.
The Park: Lots of pumpkins and plenty of scarecrow men. I went on a Monday/Tuesday and didn't see any actors dressed up throughout the park - which would definitely have added to the atmosphere - although on the Tuesday there were actors dressed in biohazard suits crew outside the 'Nemesis - What Lies Beneath' area.
In the Dark: Although there has been lots of talk about the lighting (annoyingly it seems to be mainly people that haven't even been to scarefest who are complaining the most!) I didn't have a problem with the floodlighting. Maybe it's because this was my first time or maybe it was because the driving rain added to the atmosphere - I thought just getting to be in the park at night was great. We rode Rita (the rain really stings when you're being blasted through it at 60mph!) and Th13teen. Despite there being no themeing around the ride (I'm guessing the actors weren't allowed out in the rain) riding Th13teen through the trees at night is fantastic.
Scaremazes: I didn't go on either of the paid mazes but loved the fact they were in the park. Really added to the atmosphere in X-Sector and I don't think they made the place look cluttered - without them the place would have looked empty and neglected.
*** Spoilers ***
Terror of the Towers was fantastic! I was group leader and managed to negotiate the maze without too much incident - I did walk into a wall at one point when an actor was blocking the exit in the Bodybag room; and I had to ask a wraith for directions at one point
Make-up was a bit hit and miss with the majority of the actors having panda-eyes. I think they must have worked the kinks out of the strobe maze by Monday as it was easily the scariest part of the maze - the Marilyn Manson-alikes were fantastic at using the strobes to get right up to your face and then appear 20 feet away 2 seconds later, making it look like they were teleporting. The strobes also meant their faces would be stained on your vision when the lights went out making you doubt what you were seeing. I even made the group back up and take a different route when the man broke through the chainlink fence to get us.
Zombies! Scarezone:
We did this at night and didn't have to cue or go in groups. The themeing was terrific and there were 1 or 2 actual scares that made me scream. The makeup was actually better in general than ToTT and the actors were all pretty good - one girl-zombie took a liking to me and wouldn't let me passed and then chased me all the way into the next area where another actor was ready to pounce. As with ToTT the scarezone is what you make of it: If you're able to suspend disbelief and allow yourself to take the role you're supposed to i.e. I'm going in here to get scared; you'll enjoy the experience a lot more.
Summary:
While AT is never likely to eclipse the American themeparks in its Halloween efforts I was hugely impressed. The park was nicely themed and the chance to ride in the dark was greatly appreciated. I'm definitely going back next year, probably with a group and all dressed up.
Hotels: We stayed in the AT Hotel and, while the rooms weren't decorated, the main lobby and gardens were. Pumpkin/Scarecrow men were scattered around and various themeing throughout the public areas.
The Park: Lots of pumpkins and plenty of scarecrow men. I went on a Monday/Tuesday and didn't see any actors dressed up throughout the park - which would definitely have added to the atmosphere - although on the Tuesday there were actors dressed in biohazard suits crew outside the 'Nemesis - What Lies Beneath' area.
In the Dark: Although there has been lots of talk about the lighting (annoyingly it seems to be mainly people that haven't even been to scarefest who are complaining the most!) I didn't have a problem with the floodlighting. Maybe it's because this was my first time or maybe it was because the driving rain added to the atmosphere - I thought just getting to be in the park at night was great. We rode Rita (the rain really stings when you're being blasted through it at 60mph!) and Th13teen. Despite there being no themeing around the ride (I'm guessing the actors weren't allowed out in the rain) riding Th13teen through the trees at night is fantastic.
Scaremazes: I didn't go on either of the paid mazes but loved the fact they were in the park. Really added to the atmosphere in X-Sector and I don't think they made the place look cluttered - without them the place would have looked empty and neglected.
*** Spoilers ***
Terror of the Towers was fantastic! I was group leader and managed to negotiate the maze without too much incident - I did walk into a wall at one point when an actor was blocking the exit in the Bodybag room; and I had to ask a wraith for directions at one point
Make-up was a bit hit and miss with the majority of the actors having panda-eyes. I think they must have worked the kinks out of the strobe maze by Monday as it was easily the scariest part of the maze - the Marilyn Manson-alikes were fantastic at using the strobes to get right up to your face and then appear 20 feet away 2 seconds later, making it look like they were teleporting. The strobes also meant their faces would be stained on your vision when the lights went out making you doubt what you were seeing. I even made the group back up and take a different route when the man broke through the chainlink fence to get us.Zombies! Scarezone:
We did this at night and didn't have to cue or go in groups. The themeing was terrific and there were 1 or 2 actual scares that made me scream. The makeup was actually better in general than ToTT and the actors were all pretty good - one girl-zombie took a liking to me and wouldn't let me passed and then chased me all the way into the next area where another actor was ready to pounce. As with ToTT the scarezone is what you make of it: If you're able to suspend disbelief and allow yourself to take the role you're supposed to i.e. I'm going in here to get scared; you'll enjoy the experience a lot more.
Summary:
While AT is never likely to eclipse the American themeparks in its Halloween efforts I was hugely impressed. The park was nicely themed and the chance to ride in the dark was greatly appreciated. I'm definitely going back next year, probably with a group and all dressed up.
Corky
TTF\'s Unofficial Marketing Guru
Being way too fond of his own opinion since 1983
TTF\'s Unofficial Marketing Guru
Being way too fond of his own opinion since 1983
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beanz32101
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hi guys, just wondering, what id can i use to pick up tickets for the mazes that ive pre booked? dont want to take my passport and risk losing it. thanks
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jordanc14
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[quote=""beanz32101""]hi guys, just wondering, what id can i use to pick up tickets for the mazes that ive pre booked? dont want to take my passport and risk losing it. thanks[/quote]
They don't tend to be bothered, but if you still want to take ID I would take a passport, driving licence or any cardnwith the PASS logo. I can see your point about not wanting to lose your passport, but they're the rules I'm afraid.
They don't tend to be bothered, but if you still want to take ID I would take a passport, driving licence or any cardnwith the PASS logo. I can see your point about not wanting to lose your passport, but they're the rules I'm afraid.
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Mike
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[quote=""[Archive"]"]It's very understandable how people can feel disappointed/angry by the lack of effort in Scarefest this year. But all this complaining...
I mean really, the hotel gets a themed door and we all rejoice. But if Nemesis doesn't get its red lights then we start calling for the park management to be fired and of course start using "Merlin" as a punchbag again. (Merlin, by the way, is a huge business based in London and probably has no control over the aesthetics of Alton Towers at all).
By the sounds of it, Scarefest is very tame compared to previous years, and I myself feel slightly disheartened that Alton Towers would think of going ahead without the setup being finished. However, should that really result in another TTF angry mob?[/quote]
That's not entirely fair on those complaining in my view
Anything new/good quality for Towers is a good thing - and the new doors, regardless of the importance in the scheme of things, look good. And we didn't celebrate of of proportion - I think you're exaggerating there!
Nemesis at the weekend, however, looked like it was in a floodlit football stadium (hardly fits in with the theme, does it?!), and the visitor experience will surely suffer from 'rides in the...erm....light?' when advertised as in the dark. Yes, OK, I still enjoyed the experience, but theres so much more Towers could do with relatively little expenditure - at the weekend it felt like (although I'm glad things are starting to change) Towers were trying to save every penny they could.
Also - I agree with Islander and Diogo in that Scarefest should be top quality from opening weekend. They don't advertise it as a 'preview of what Scarefest looks like, but we're going to add a few more features next week'. I for one won't get back there, and sadly won't see all the new improvements aside from photos
.
All this isn't to say I didn't enjoy the weekend - I had a great time
- it's just that I think people complaining in a constructive way is completely justified - after all, this is an Alton Towers-based community
I mean really, the hotel gets a themed door and we all rejoice. But if Nemesis doesn't get its red lights then we start calling for the park management to be fired and of course start using "Merlin" as a punchbag again. (Merlin, by the way, is a huge business based in London and probably has no control over the aesthetics of Alton Towers at all).
By the sounds of it, Scarefest is very tame compared to previous years, and I myself feel slightly disheartened that Alton Towers would think of going ahead without the setup being finished. However, should that really result in another TTF angry mob?[/quote]
That's not entirely fair on those complaining in my view
Anything new/good quality for Towers is a good thing - and the new doors, regardless of the importance in the scheme of things, look good. And we didn't celebrate of of proportion - I think you're exaggerating there!
Nemesis at the weekend, however, looked like it was in a floodlit football stadium (hardly fits in with the theme, does it?!), and the visitor experience will surely suffer from 'rides in the...erm....light?' when advertised as in the dark. Yes, OK, I still enjoyed the experience, but theres so much more Towers could do with relatively little expenditure - at the weekend it felt like (although I'm glad things are starting to change) Towers were trying to save every penny they could.
Also - I agree with Islander and Diogo in that Scarefest should be top quality from opening weekend. They don't advertise it as a 'preview of what Scarefest looks like, but we're going to add a few more features next week'. I for one won't get back there, and sadly won't see all the new improvements aside from photos
.All this isn't to say I didn't enjoy the weekend - I had a great time
- it's just that I think people complaining in a constructive way is completely justified - after all, this is an Alton Towers-based community 
Thanks to Ian for the sig!
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Nathan
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If you ask me, a lot of lights weren't out because of certain travelling folk at the weekend.
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Mike
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[quote=""Nathan""]If you ask me, a lot of lights weren't out because of certain travelling folk at the weekend.
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
Maybe so - but they could've done more than just bright floodlighting, especially on the Saturday - even if it meant just using different, less bright, lights. Also, the quality was inconsistant across park
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
Maybe so - but they could've done more than just bright floodlighting, especially on the Saturday - even if it meant just using different, less bright, lights. Also, the quality was inconsistant across park
Thanks to Ian for the sig!
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PeteB
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[quote=""Nathan""]If you ask me, a lot of lights weren't out because of certain travelling folk at the weekend.
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
I was going to say something pretty offensive and vulgar about these people but im pretty sure you can all read my thoughts by now.
I'm in agreement with whoever said the park shouldnt let them in.
A lot of the smaller LED lights were stolen last year.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk[/quote]
I was going to say something pretty offensive and vulgar about these people but im pretty sure you can all read my thoughts by now.
I'm in agreement with whoever said the park shouldnt let them in.
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Jollylee11
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Its going to be my first scarefest and im not really bothered about the lighting or mazes, but i speak for all us first-timers, we only really care about the rides in the dark 
I can see why you could moan, but most of the people posting on this forum go every scarefest, the main paying visitors do not, so i highly unthink that this is the worse scarefest ever, by far, its the biggest and best
I can see why you could moan, but most of the people posting on this forum go every scarefest, the main paying visitors do not, so i highly unthink that this is the worse scarefest ever, by far, its the biggest and best
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The Crab of Nemesis
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[quote=""AstroDan""]Just did both paid mazes.
Wow.
Much better!!!
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk[/quote]
More up to the standards we expect?
Thanks goodness Towers seem to be turning this around, but I do still echo what others have said that everything should've been in place from day 1 - improvement needed next year
Wow.
Much better!!!
Sent from my Desire HD using Tapatalk[/quote]
More up to the standards we expect?
Thanks goodness Towers seem to be turning this around, but I do still echo what others have said that everything should've been in place from day 1 - improvement needed next year
Since 2008-
DiogoJ42
Now I feel like you're just rubbing it in for those of us that can't return.Note: I know you aren't trying to
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Islander
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[quote=""Jollylee11""]...i highly unthink that this is the worse scarefest ever, by far, its the biggest and best[/quote]
You can 'unthink' all you like, but given that your opinion unfortunately is at odds with most people on this forum who have been in previous years, I'm inclined to believe them over you.
Doesn't mean I don't respect your opinion, though (I just disagree with it), so I'm curious: what makes you make such a bold statement?
You can 'unthink' all you like, but given that your opinion unfortunately is at odds with most people on this forum who have been in previous years, I'm inclined to believe them over you.
Doesn't mean I don't respect your opinion, though (I just disagree with it), so I'm curious: what makes you make such a bold statement?