Going to Towers alone...

[wamdue]

I'm booked to go on my own again, it has its down sides, the water rides are a pain, but we all loose touch with friends, or can't sync calenders, or the people we do work with are the reason we need a break, of some sort.

You can get lost in the crowd, and honestly phones can be a good distraction these days, so its alot less of an issue than it used to be.

I have done it before, and talked to people in queues, but never hooked up with a group of people, but honestly I like my privacy and doing stuff at my own pace, the times i've gone with people, family, school groups etc, I just ended up going it alone anyways, cos people were dragging and talking too much rather than moving on to the next ride.

[Mikw]

Almost always go on my own. I've been with a friend on a couple of occassions but they don't like rides very much.

It's ok, sometimes feel awkward in a queue, and I've never done the rapids on my own. That would feel really awkward for me!

[Robert.W]

Oh honestly, when I go to Towers, my family can be so infuriating at times, and sometimes I wish I could just go it alone! It's a real pain to stop and take photos too, as no one stops, and I end up miles behind everyone else! :lol So my pictures always turn out somewhat blurry.. 

Would love to make a solo trip to Towers one day, just to see how it is with no one else!

[Aidan Lowe]

Would love to make a solo trip to Towers one day, just to see how it is with no one else!

It's nice to be with people but it's nice also not to be. My solo trips are blissful, it's my day I go wherever I want, take however long I want, avoid certain rides if I want. I'm actually heading for a solo trip soon and I cannot wait. 

[theparklifekid]

I did a short solo trip a few weeks ago, most of my visits to a theme park are solo, it's nice as you can go at your own pace, however after a few hours, it does hit you and you feel a bit lonely. Sometimes you make conversation with random people in the queue, but other than that its mostly a day where you don't say much.

[Swarm Chris]

Will be up there alone this weekend. Enjoy it both alone and in groups. Find the most awkward part being the hotel and restaurant, especially if nearly everyone else are families with young kids. But it's too long a drive to not stay there.

But it does mean if I want to re-ride Hex or Duel a few too many times, well that's between me and the ride operators!

[ROYJESS]

My very first trip to Alton (1987) solo and I've done many more solo trips since.  Nice to be able to do what you want, when you want and go on what you want without having to please others.  

I do visit the park nowadays with my wife, but as she is totally wheelchair bound as well as due to her medical condition, I still have to do all the rides alone, including the Rapids.  

[MakoMania]

Going to Towers alone is worse than ever this season due to the complete removal of SRQ.

Part of the reason why I have not renewed a pass for this season after a decade of having one

[Swarm Chris]

Going to Towers alone is worse than ever this season due to the complete removal of SRQ.

Part of the reason why I have not renewed a pass for this season after a decade of having one

Seeing those disused queues is pretty sad. Especially when you then see quite a few empty seats go around. Not so bad with current crowd levels, but peak, nope not going to be pleasant and yep puts me off too.

Chessington is now the only park with single rider still available, with Dragons Fury and randomly Zufari.

[glittabones]

I just spent the week at Alton Towers alone and it was brilliant! I do a lot of solo theme park trips but never a long stay like this and I honestly loved every second. When I'm with other people I'm constantly worrying that they're not having a good time and that I'm forcing them to do what I want to do. When I'm alone I can re-ride Duel a million times if necessary and nobody's going to complain.  :P

I do miss the single rider queues, but really, on an off-peak weekday even the Wicker Man queue is about 10 minutes so it doesn't make a difference to me.

[Swarm Chris]

When I'm alone I can re-ride Duel a million times if necessary and nobody's going to complain.  :P

I too enjoy the occasional re-re-re-ride of Duel when on my own, without the sounds of complaint. Previously I had to rely on bad weather as a case for why we should re-ride just one more time!

[wamdue]

Going on Thursday / Friday, gonna miss those single rider queues.

Question: if I wear my Thanos t-shirt, and click my fingers will the queues halve in length? Because that would be cool, and one place I would totally welcome Thanos doing that.

I’ve downloaded some podcasts to my phone, in case I end up in a long queue, are there any Alton Towers ones I should add to the playlist? History of...., that kind of thing.

[Dan]

I’ve downloaded some podcasts to my phone, in case I end up in a long queue, are there any Alton Towers ones I should add to the playlist? History of...., that kind of thing.

John Wardley’s audiobook is brilliant. I occasionally listen to it when making long journeys in the car.

[DeadJack5]

I've done a few solo trips to towers last year. It's a nice day to just chill and have a wonder seeing all the stuff you want to see. I used these solo trips mainly for SW8 progress updates and some general photography around the park with the odd ride here and there. Obviously with the single rider queues being removed it does make solo trips a bit more difficult when trying to get a big coaster count. But enjoy the day and make of it what you will, these days are the ones where you pick up on the things you would never normally see or find on your regular trips

[wamdue]

Ok, just back from a two day trip, and maybe because it was quiet, and a total lack of queues, it went really well, with almost no need for the podcasts I downloaded. I did hear alot of Simon Mayos Confessions however. 

[Agentile]

Hey all,

I’m at Alton Towers right now queuing for Smiler. I had a little time off work and figured I’d stop by as I’ve not been here in 20 odd years.

It’s an odd sensation being here alone. I definitely chose the wrong day, pretty busy.

It’s a shame about the SRQ.

[wamdue]

I say do it. I've only ever done Universal Studios Singapore on my own but that was still fun (helped that the park was completely empty and I could do laps of the coasters). In some ways it was more fun because I didn't have to worry about what other people wanted to do.

Oh yes, a quiet park, you can make doing your own thing so much more worthwhile. When I went to Alton Towers earlier this year, I went on The Smiler 4 times in a row, no queues to speak of, no friends wanting to go on something else.