Wicker Man - General Discussion

[krug]

Anyone any thoughts on what the thorough-put will be of Wicker Man?  3 trains, 24 riders, maybe a train dispatched every 90 seconds.  That makes about 960 riders an hour maybe?....

[lewis97]

Anyone any thoughts on what the thorough-put will be of Wicker Man?  3 trains, 24 riders, maybe a train dispatched every 90 seconds.  That makes about 960 riders an hour maybe?....

952 riders per hour is what’s on the on-ride photo, so your maths was pretty good!

[Kraken]

I agree! The weather was beyond dangerous, and although I was sad that they didn't open Wicker Man, I didn't blame Alton Towers. They were incredible this weekend, and really showed the best of the company, making changing tickets as easy and hassle free as possible, and handing out refunds for hotel bookings and dealing with an amber alert weather warning! It sucks that in response they're getting so much hate... They should be getting praised!

I think the reason Alton Towers are deservedly being criticised is due to the amount of time it took them to update their website / social media channels saying that there was a good chance the rollercoasters would be closed over the weekend.  The Amber weather warning for snow & ice had been forecast for days - there is no reason why a message saying there was the possibility of ride closures over the weekend could not have been online on Wednesday.  Guests would then have had an extra day or two to make an informed choice as to whether to travel to the park and take the risk of an incomplete ride lineup.  

Where the guests are being silly is saying that it is a "disgrace" the rides were closed for safety reasons.  All Merlin parks will be erring right on the side of caution - if there is any chance a ride may not be knowingly safe to operate, it'll remain closed.  That said, as above, Alton Towers could have communicated this better in advance of the weekend.  

[ScottLann]

A full track walk is currently taking place on Wicker Man at the moment whilst a growing queue of people wait outside the ride entrance! Looks like Alton Towers are doing their best to see if Wicker Man is good to go for a soft opening today

[liamorno]

Well, it’s finally soft opened, will be nice to hear some feedback off of the general public today.

[Dungeon-X-Smile]

Ladies and Gentlemen, the moment we have all been waiting for. 
According to ride times, Wicker Man is now open.

[Robert.W]

Yes, some of TowersStreet's members have already ridden it! Seems to be going down very well at the moment. Apparently they're giving out free pin badges as well!

[lewis97]

Another video counting down to Saturday has been uploaded - it looks as those each of these videos may be a segment of the TV advert.

[jackf92]

Quite liking the style of these teasers actually. At first I thought it seemed too much like Thirteen's horror-esque advert, but the fact they've got younger people in it will hopefully show it's suitable for families as well. 

[118hazaman]

Anyone any thoughts on what the thorough-put will be of Wicker Man?  3 trains, 24 riders, maybe a train dispatched every 90 seconds.  That makes about 960 riders an hour maybe?....

952 riders per hour is what’s on the on-ride photo, so your maths was pretty good!

I imagine we will see real world operations passing the theoretical throughput. Dispatches between 60-75 seconds seem doable on a three train service once everything is broken in. This would lead to something around the 1200pph mark. 

[RobHand]

I will post my full review / opinion soon, but for now all I will say is WOW.. expectations were well and truly ecceed.

I had the luck of being seated at the very back, so I can’t speak for riders nearer the front edge of the carriage, but It was so much faster then I expected, especially coming down the ”Wardley drop”.

The pre show was great, the wait was a bit too long for comfort

But overall, way up there with Nemesis

Very well done

[MIR]

Managed to grab a ride at the front today, super lucky that was!

I thought the pre-show was great and was quite taken aback by the theming, energy, and atmosphere of the station - Towers' best coaster station by a long shot.

I found it to be quite intense! It's certainly not one for air time towards the front of the train, but it doesn't need to be as it provides an excellent twister wooden coaster experience. The pacing is particularly good, especially when punctuated with the effects upon hurtling through 'Big Bob'.

Alton Towers / Merlin Magic Making have created something wonderful here in my opinion. The thought that has gone into an accompanying storyline and theming is particularly promising for future coaster additions...!

[Justin]

I'm looking forward to riding it next week, however, I fully agree with you about the theming. The shop, station and general area are spectacular. It certainly sets the benchmark for Merlin, following on well from Ghost Train at Thorpe. It does however make other attractions look a little underwelming now. Th13teen, for example, could have been so much more had it been designed today. Think about the potential!

[theparklifekid]

Despite me being at the park today, I wasn't fortunate enough to get a ride on it. But wow, I must say it looks amazing and now I have a season pass so I can hopefully ride it soon!

[Robert.W]

I'm looking forward to riding it next week, however, I fully agree with you about the theming. The shop, station and general area are spectacular.  It certainly sets the benchmark for Merlin, following on well from Ghost Train at Thorpe. It does however make other attractions look a little underwelming now. Th13teen, for example, could have been so much more had it been designed today. Think about the potential!

Yeah, though TH13TEEN is still a very unique experience that holds up well on its own. Theming on the level of Wicker Man would have been fantastic of course, but it's far from having an underwhelming experience overall, in my opinion.

You're definitely right in saying that Wicker Man sets the benchmark for future Secret Weapons at Towers. There is something that feels very complete about Wicker Man, which is even more unusual since it doesn't even belong in a named area of the park, but the way it's been intergrated in to the edge of Mutiny Bay is really well done. All the extra theming like the wicker polls and bunting as well as The Welcome – Inn are just really well thought out and makes the surrounding area of the ride feel very well finished! 

Without wanting to jump too far ahead, based on what we have seen for SW8, I'm already really exited for SW9!!

[Justin]

Th13teen certainly stands up on its own, but think about what could have been done if they had added a preshow, themed gift shop and more.

[Robert.W]

Of course, but you could probably say that for the rest of the big rides (excluding Nemesis) in the park as well.

[Justin]

Yeah, most definitely, but it just highlights the step up for Wicker Man! The trend must continue. It would be great if some of the past rides are reworked slightly with improved theming or even a preshow.

[Robert.W]

Well, I guess we can dream! 

The way they seem to be going with some of the older rides at the moment, it does feel as though they are more intent on downgrading them rather than upgrading them, to be honest. I think The Smiler and TH13TEEN are two particular rides that have most potential to improve — it would be great to see some of the original concepts for The Smiler's station come to fruition, and dare I say a pre show could work really well on TH13TEEN, if only the ride had an actual backstory!

For Wicker Man, I'm just hoping that all the necessary maintenance is done regularly to keep all the effects as well as the actual coaster in good condition so it can maintain the wow factor it currently has! I'm quite optimistic that they will as well!

[Justin]

I really hope they maintain it to ensure it is pristine for many years to come. The area is so nice at present, making it very special!