2013 Scarefest

General discussion regarding the UK's No.1 Theme Park. Talk about anything and everything Alton Towers here.
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which scaremaze had the longest queue times

zombies scarezone
0
No votes
the sanctuary
1
8%
terror of the towers
2
17%
the carnival of screams
8
67%
none( refer to below)
1
8%
 
Total votes: 12
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DeanGaryCox
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RideRater reported back a few weeks ago, that The Smiler would close (possibly for a few days) if there is a lot of rain which causes the queue and some of the ride area to flood (which is obvious) - so holding out hope to be able to ride it in the dark on tuesday, let alone ride it at all!
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Kendalgal
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Back from a weekend away at AT and we had a fab time. Yes we had a horrific time waiting for the mazes...we were evacuated twice from TOTT. Saying that we did get to do them both, just not in our time slot and it did interfere with our day. My husband was accepted on The Sanctuary at 21.30 and experienced an almost extreme maze as the actors touched and licked a group members ear lol!!! The staff were amazing putting up with grief they got for the power cut. Had that not of happened they were spot on with the maze times so I have no idea why others said they were not (pre power cut). Extra security was called in at one point because there was a really tense atmosphere. Not good but they dealt with it well and allowed anyone after 9pm to enter if they missed their slot earlier. We were stood outside waiting (for our group to go on and come off x4) until 10pm and people were still being allowed in. Can I add aswell...we had heard a 5 year old had gone onto the scaremazes previous to us and wasn't fazed lol!!! My 9 year old did Zombie maze and loved it but was her limit. The ages are a recommendation so if any parents with younger kids wanting to try the mazes...they are allowed with parental consent.

The Zombie scaremaze was brilliant. Longer than previous years and when dark was tense and very jumpy. We took our 9 year old through and she loved it!!! Wish we could of done it again but the queue was huge.

Smiler fasttrack tickets sold out VERY quickly so I advise people to get them before they go OR as early in the morning as possible. We got ours at 11am then they sold out. The ultimate, silver, gold etc sold out before 11am too.

Lighting wasn't as good and no lighting in the towers pathway near the mazes which I was disappointed about. Smiler looked beautiful in the dark but defo not glow in the dark.

As we were leaving today, overspill car parks were being filled and it was rammed with travellers. NEVER seen as many in my life before and they were being "difficult".

Scarefest for us all in all was the best this year and we will defo be coming back.
Mum to Hollie (9) & Madison (5)
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Liam B
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Evostance wrote: Just found these online, credit to original authors:


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WOW that looks awesome! The park looks amazing in these pictures! Really can't wait for next week! Hopefully they won't have anymore mishaps and we can have a glorious day haha!
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Gimli son of Gloin
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I'll be going to Alton Towers on Tuesday using a 2 for 1 voucher. There seems to have been some confusion on AT's facebook page as to whether or not you can use them, but generally it seems like you can, and some people have just been given the wrong information.

I'm slightly concerned about the weather, I keep checking the forecast to see if it will be changing but it says it's pretty much raining for the next week. I've only ever been to AT once when it rained and that was early in the year, about 5 years ago, not during the Scarefest, so I don't know how this affects the mazes or any of the newer rides. I'm hoping it might mean that it's less busy, but if it the usual crowd, then I guess everyone will be trying to go onto rides undercover or the mazes.
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Kraken
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Not long back from Towers... it was a pretty good day, but I bet things are getting ugly there now.  The Travellers were indeed in attendance - there ware a few round from the start but from lunchtime onwards they were descending on the place.  By mid afternoon, they were everywhere.  Security presence was high, along with lots of Police too. 

At about 2:30 there was heavy rain, which turned into a heavy thunder storm with hail that led to most rides stopping.  The surface water problem was causing a lot of flooding too. 

At about 3:20 we tried to approach the mazes, but the Barbican archway and passage were completely solid with travellers gathering & not letting anyone through (think they blocked this area last year too).  We "went round the back" and entered Dark Forest near the Rita launch plant building & by the time we got round to the Barbican passage, security and the police had moved most of the travellers on. 

So the mazes...  ToTT was basically the same as last year - only criticism is the room where you are read the safety rules at the top of the stairs is way too dark, i.e. it's verging on pitch black.  The Sanctuary - really enjoyed this, definitely the better of the two mazes.  One actor really freaked out a lady in our group to the point of bring her to tears as she exited the maze. 

Once we had done the mazes, we had a wander round the park and lets just say the atmosphere was changing, fast.  There were travellers literally everywhere.  In fairness, I did not personally see any trouble / queue jumping, but we were not in ride queues at this time.  Did see staff being verbally abused by travellers at the mazes entrance as it is entrance by ticket only.  I would imagine things have got interesting now that darkness has fallen on the park. 
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tharrison4815
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jayson2125 wrote: offered us fast track for all the mazes as compensation
I wasn't aware you could get fast track for all of the mazes. Anyone know if these can be purchased?
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Balb0wa
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i see ride times is now working for the nights

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Evostance
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A few more I've found

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Image
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TheOutpatient
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ah wow, they actually put yolks on the Towers?

and The Smiler picture; Are the green lights real or have you accidently pulled up those marketing pics?
Evostance wrote: Just found these online, credit to original authors:
Image
Ah my goodness wow!
Last edited by TheOutpatient on Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:03 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Please visit my blog of original dark ride ideas: http://mattsdesignsblog.wordpress.com/
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Evostance
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TheOutpatient wrote: ah wow, they actually put yolks on the Towers?

and The Smiler picture; Are the green lights real or have you accidently pulled up those marketing pics?
Evostance wrote: Just found these online, credit to original authors:
Image
Ah my goodness wow!
Found them online.  The glowing Smiler one was taken at a PR shoot so its not faked.  Why nobody has reported it being like this since, I don't know.  I imagine it needs blacklights and the power cut probably didnt help.

EDIT:  OK so I found out how they did the glowing ride:
Commissioned shoot to celebrate Scarefest at Alton Towers Resort.

We gave The Smiler a ghostly makeover using hundreds of metres of EL wire to create ghoulish glowing carriages resembling a ghost train.
To put it bluntly, chances of seeing it like this are slim to none.  EL tape requires power and probably won't be on for public use.  Sorry!
Last edited by Evostance on Sun Oct 20, 2013 9:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jordanc14
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Today has been an awful day. The park was fantastic, as were the mazes, but the park was literally dominated by travellers! It was awful. Never seen anything like it! Queue jumping; left, right and centre! Abusive towards both guests and security/police, not to mention the strange smells coming from them. Feel so sorry for ALL staff, both security and AT employees, there was a hell of a lot to deal with. Does anyone have any idea where they all come from? Saying this, I appreciate that it is in no way the fault of the park, and they handled the situation very well, but in essence, they ruined my day, and it can only be worse for families (especially those with young children)
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jackgcse
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They come from the Local Racecourse, and they do it one This Sunday, and Easter Sunday...so yeah...its pretty infamous.
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ukool
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Just got back and other then one que jumping and lots of smoking in the ques the travellers were not an issue for us. Their was a big security force present which was great. Had a fab day, enjoyed all the scaremazes but TOTT was the weakest, think thier was a timing issue as we were at the front and alot of the scares were aimed at the back of the group.
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King Nemesis
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Agree, today was good. Well done to the staff and security / for a job well done and is a lot better than Easter Sunday.

We didn't see much. Disgusting behaviour prior to scare zone (blew smoke into staff members face, staff being abused) and heard from one member of staff someone was attacked in the sanctuary.

Well done people, you did good
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RobStandley
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Went to TP Fright Nights on Saturday, going to Towers today, I must say, Fright Nights (in terms of mazes) was on a level towers haven't got anywhere near as of yet! Honestly feel it's going to be tough for Scarefest to top it! Hoping it will though!
Danny

I didn't see as many issues as I have done on previous occasions when I visited on Sunday. The actors in the mazes all seemed comfortable and as did the staff around the resort. My only negative would be an entire security team bolted for shelter when the torrential downpour happened rather than organise the situation under the archway at the front of the Towers. They should have been on hand to organise the chaos rather than run off to keep themselves dry.

Anyway, what did I think of Scarefest this year?

I prefer the main structure and layout of TotT compared to last year, although the actors were truly dire on my first run through. My second run through on the Sunday had improved slightly due to the increased amount of actors. The atmosphere around the maze in general however is spot on, apart from the pre show room where I feel the tension lacks compared to last year. I can't quite put my finger on the reason why, maybe I need a third run through.

The Sanctuary. Almost a replica of it's early 2013 identity with the addition of some new dialogue from Dr Kelman regarding The Smiler. I can't see myself going through this maze frequently throughout Scarefest due to having milked it so much earlier in the year.

The Carnival of Screams. Wow. From the whole way the group photo is organised, to the incredible finale, Carnival really surprised and surpassed my expectations this year. Many of the actors are superb, and did a grand job of keeping everyone entertained in the queue line when the powercut struck on Saturday. Without spoiling it, the way the finale is set out is brilliant. I love the effects used and the build up of tension is incredible.

I felt that Fountain Square wasn't as eye catching as it could have been. Maybe it lacked decorations [although I do love the large Franklyn figurine]. I didn't get chance to fully observe all the goings on around this area, so hopefully I'll be able to comment on this next week. The same with Zombies! Scarezone.

The Smiler. Wow. Just wow. I really feared that the experience at night would be ruined by horrible, dirty diesel generators floodlighting the pit everywhere. I was totally surprised that the Marmaliser screen was sufficient enough to light up the pit, but not in a sense where it would ruin the experience. The views from the top of the lift hills are magnificent, especially with the illuminated Towers. The ride also feels vastly smoother on many parts [with the exception of the jolty cobra roll exit]. After highly anticipating riding The Smiler in the dark, it's safe to say it delivered and I am thoroughly pleased with it.

Also, the return of the wraiths was a great addition that did not go unnoticed by myself! I'm really glad to see their return and I hope that the park continues to expand on the entertainments front for Scarefest in the future.
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Gizmo
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jayson2125 wrote: Ok just got back from the towers and I have to say that yesterday the 19th was horrendous from our point of view.

In the park it took nearly 1 hour to collect our pre-bought tickets from the box office.

Our time slots were 3pm and 4pm as there were two groups of parents.

At 2.50 myself and another parent entered the queue for the sanctuary and after 10 mins of the queue not moving we asked a member of staff if we could buy fast tracks and were told no and that there had been a power cut.

After about thirty mins in the queue and many people leaving we saw the lights come back on and about ten minutes later the boom of sound effects coming from the mazes, All looking good for things re starting.
Twenty minutes later the queue for TOT starts moving and empties completely and the gates are re-opened for TOT but not for Sanctuary. The queue for TOT is now completely full and a poor member of staff from Sanctuary comes and tells us that "they are still having technical difficulties due to the power cut and we are more than welcome to join the back of the queue for TOT.
Well the woman next to me nearly exploded with fury as she quite rightly said to the member of staff that all the people left in the queue should have been given the option to join TOT before they opened the gates and why should we all join the back of the queue as we had been waiting for 1 hr and everybody else had just joined.
The manager from sanctuary was called and give her full credit she spoke to us all and offered us fast track for all the mazes as compensation, I accepted and left the queue as our kids had been waiting for probably and hour and a half at this point.

Later in the evening myself and another parent stayed back when the kids and wives went to the hotel and we did the mazes.

Summary of mazes with no spoilers:

TOT: exactly the same as last year but seemed to be a lot shorter.

Sanctuary: Seemed better this year but all the scares were the same, there is only so many times a person going boo is going to scare you, Come on Alton think of some new ideas.

Carnival: Great maze for kids who are a bit brave but not scary and pretty much the same as last year with Jack the knife added.

All in all park looks great, mazes have to many teething troubles / problems and slow throughput.

We have had to leave early today as my son has caught chicken pox and it all came out last night but went into the park on leaving to ask guest services about our unused maze tickets. Again hats off to guest services who have said they will re issue them if we come again before the end of Scarefest.

NOTE POINT THOUGH: today on entering the park security was very present and police on the entrance plaza, A lot of traveling folk around and to me the atmosphere around the entrance plaza was noticeably tense.
I really hope today goes well and that we don't see again travelers taking over the park and causing trouble, there are a lot of families there for a good day out and they really don't want it spoiled by a few.

This was us yesterday in case you were one of the many many peole that stopped for a photo with us:

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Was a pleasure meeting you all on CATTF ;)
Loved the outfits, but the eyes always creep me out!
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KoasterKraver
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B3N7AM1N.712
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Does anyone have any links to 2 for 1 vouchers for the Scarefest period
:D THE SMILER :D
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Liam B
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B3N7AM1N.712 wrote: Does anyone have any links to 2 for 1 vouchers for the Scarefest period
Any 2 for 1's will cover scare fest period. They should up to the 5th of november of them or something.
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