AltonOperator wrote:Personally, I don't think the charge is restricting the amount of cars and controlling traffic flow at all. anyone coming in a car usually just deals with the charge. the car parks are just gravel. they shouldn't need a high amount to maintain them. if anything the charge is an issue because of the hold up when everyone rushes out but has to buy a token at the machines and then again when people are getting tokens scanned.
My comment were more directed towards Thorpe Park, Legoland and Chessington where parks are located closer to built up areas.
Alton is a captured market, so is there really a need to charge at all. The ticket price rise could be a solution though!
As just posted on TowersTimes social media, it looks as though the fates of Nemesis Sub-Terra and Twirling Toadstool are finally sealed, with the removal of their pages from the Resort's website.
As much as it isn't really a surprise to see these rides removed from the website, it is incredibly sad and disappointing to seemingly have confirmation of their permanent closure. I think Sub Terra's fate was pretty much sealed the moment a scare maze was allowed to be installed in there - why use that ride location for a maze if you planned to re-comission the ride at some point? Twirling Toadstool's removal sees yet another mid range family ride go - it just doesn't make sense to remove a ride that appeals to the market where Alton Towers currently have the largest gap in their line-up. Looking on social media, several people are also understandably angry as Twirling Toadstool was originally closed under the Alton TLC umbrella with the seeming promise if its return. The only thing I can think of is that although the original intention may have been to refurbish the ride, the Resort must have found a more serious issue which has meant it hasn't been possible to re-open it.
In terms of CCL, I have to agree that the area is becoming more and more of a redundant area. You only have Driving School, the Carousel, and Frog Hopper (which is now effecitvely made redundant by the CBeebies Drop Towers), plus House of Monsters at Scarefest. The area just doesn't have anything that grabs anyone - it doesn't even have an F&B outlet! The Resort seriously need to give CCL a complete overhaul asap otherwise it's going to fast become a nothing area. It's so sad and disheartening to see an area that once had so much life become a shadow of what it once was
I do wonder if CCL will become the SW9 site, but that is a discussion for another day.
I do think we need to see some more flats added to the park. I expect maintenance on The Blade was forced somewhat as they knew another ride couldn't go.
With Toadstool, I’m guessing they were planning to refurb it, but the price they were quoted was more than it would be just to buy something brand new (that would also last longer) when CCL inevitably gets rethemed, and the ride may also not fit in with whatever they’ve got planned for that area. Forbidden Valley isn’t changing anytime soon so I can see why they’re dead set on keeping Blade around.
I’ve heard the idea thrown around that they might seal off the whole area (except Dungeons obviously), move Carousel elsewhere on park and divert access to Driving School through the Towers...
If the primary reason to close Twirling Toadstool was to refurbish it (as the TLC justification suggested), then you would have expected things to have been agreed and in place ahead of its closure, so the ‘turned out it was too expensive’ excuse for not reopening it wouldn’t be valid.
What seems more likely is that it was closed firstly to save costs, with management only contemplating the prospect of some sort of refurbishment works for which they were not able to actually secure the budget for.
Yet more flat rides bite the dust at Towers. Its a shame! I think everyone had already accepted that Sub Terra wouldn't be returning, but Twirling Toadstool is quite disappointing. I think the only times i'm near or in CCL in the past couple of years was to exit Hex or to do House of Monsters. Its like they are giving up with that corner of the park. I can't help but think the park is expecting The Dungeon to be more popular than it might be and thus expecting it to have a large queue to help spread the people around the park and therefore don't need the flat rides to help with queues. Plus it gives them the opportunity to earn extra money from people buying fastrack to skip the long queues.
It looks much more cluttered than it already did, purely because they’ve added the accommodation options down the left hand side of the map, primarily to show off the Stargazing Pods.
While I understand the need for them to advertise the Pods wherever they can, I can’t help but feel it’s negatively impacted the map as, well, an actual map. It was never the most helpful tool to navigate the park, but this year it’s got even worse.
For those who don’t know otherwise, that map indicates the Pods are next to Katanga Canyon :lol
Dan wrote:I’m not sure how I feel about the map this year.
It looks much more cluttered than it already did, purely because they’ve added the accommodation options down the left hand side of the map, primarily to show off the Stargazing Pods.
While I understand the need for them to advertise the Pods wherever they can, I can’t help but feel it’s negatively impacted the map as, well, an actual map. It was never the most helpful tool to navigate the park, but this year it’s got even worse.
For those who don’t know otherwise, that map indicates the Pods are next to Katanga Canyon :lol
In addition, the maps are smaller to what they once were!
Pretty sure four years is the longest a map design has ever lasted? Normally two or three. Which is a shame because it's my least favourite design they've ever had
Currently I'm certain this is not the real guidemap, rather a promotional image for the time being. They've done it in the past. The real map will include food options, games and a proper key at the bottom describing each ride and pointing out smoking areas, toilets, etc. and I really hope it does not include the ride logos because they look horrible, especially the ones with rectangular backgrounds. It ruins the natural feel.
Other small changes since 2018:
The entrance has been slightly recoloured and the new ticket building has been disconnected from the main structure. not sure why.
The wickerman sign has changed from black to red to match the actual sign
Forbidden sweep is apparently back!
The rides labels are coloured by area rather than type of ride
The tiny bit of green land separating dark forest and CCL has been opened up, suggesting that (obviously) AT dungeon is part of DF
DerpyQuark wrote:I never considered that they would add the restaurants later on. And I thought AT dungeon was supposed to be in the "The Towers" area, not DF.
Less a matter of adding it, rather they just have two versions. One for promotion and in leaflets at service station, etc. and one to give out in the park. People looking at the map from home or on holiday don't need to see smoking areas and toilets so they are left off to reduce clutter.
Good point. Its a discussion for another topic but yes dungeons could actually be part of towers. It doesn't have a coloured label to tell us, only the logo unfortunately.
