Towers Loving Care

[Nickolai]

As this is the second year of TLC I hope that the main 'chunk' of work will happen now.

[RobHand]

This is more of a general question for my fellow TT members, but what areas of the resort do you think are in need of some serious TLC for the 2017 season, and what order do you prioritise them? (excluding rides that are already down under "TLC")

It will be interesting to see different peoples opinions!

[Tom170499]

This is more of a general question for my fellow TT members, but what areas of the resort do you think are in need of some serious TLC for the 2017 season, and what order do you prioritise them? (excluding rides that are already down under "TLC")

It will be interesting to see different peoples opinions!

The Smiler is in desperate need of a repaint and spruce up. It is the youngest coaster there but looks like the oldest one. A full track repaint, queue line clean, projection room sorted, screens sorted and audio back up to full volume.

I'm hoping that they have decided to see if the GP were still interested in The Smiler before spending money on it. However, I highly doubt that any of the points I've made above will be carried out.

[Capt.Barnacles]

I'd like to see Battle Galleons have a lot of work done to it, after seeing how little of what's supposed to be there working this season I think it needs a serious overhaul to get some of the water jets working again. Hopefully this'll take place this off season.

[definedancing]

I'd like to see Battle Galleons have a lot of work done to it, after seeing how little of what's supposed to be there working this season I think it needs a serious overhaul to get some of the water jets working again. Hopefully this'll take place this off season.

This.

All of it.

Attachment aside, I think it is important to remember that there is only so much ride staff are able to do, and I think it is worth considering that ride staff actually do an awful lot of cleaning and basic maintenance throughout the season. The hosts and operators, whilst not enthusiasts by our definition, will have an attachment and a degree of pride to their rides and will try and keep it in the best shape they can. They are after all very much human and the majority are passionate about the job.

I would like a repaint of Marauders Mayhem's turntable and the re-emergence of the smoke machine, personally.

[Tom170499]

I'd like to see Battle Galleons have a lot of work done to it, after seeing how little of what's supposed to be there working this season I think it needs a serious overhaul to get some of the water jets working again. Hopefully this'll take place this off season.

This.

All of it.

Attachment aside, I think it is important to remember that there is only so much ride staff are able to do, and I think it is worth considering that ride staff actually do an awful lot of cleaning and basic maintenance throughout the season. The hosts and operators, whilst not enthusiasts by our definition, will have an attachment and a degree of pride to their rides and will try and keep it in the best shape they can. They are after all very much human and the majority are passionate about the job.

I would like a repaint of Marauders Mayhem's turntable and the re-emergence of the smoke machine, personally.

I think we will be more likely to see work in Mutiny Bay next closed season as they'll want it looking good for SW8

[Justin]

I would like to see X Sector receive some TLC over the closed season. It is one of my favourite areas, but it is one area that needs seriously updating.

Here are a few observations...

The Smiler - Track and train paint, Projectors, Queue line foam edging to be replaced in Projection room. Screen at Half Way to be replaced. Indoor exit line needs painting/touching up. LED lighting to be repaired on queue line stairs.

Oblivion - Queue line to be updated, including repaint of queue line buildings (Just imagine what a tin of orange and black paint to could do!), trains to be resprayed. Additional theming added. Screens to be updated. X-Sell needs serious work, including X-Cite!

Enterprise - 'Pond' to be cleaned.

Entrance - Although removed due to 2015 events, a new story to explain that you are entering a Government/MOJ facility. Not necessarily to highlight the testing, but secrecy side.

I'd also like to see more flashing beacons around the area and more hazard themeing!

[Ryan.B]

I'd like the removals of mushrooms growing in the top of oblivions building before the catwalk, someone leant against them once and it wasn't pretty. :lol

[RobHand]

I'd like the removals of mushrooms growing in the top of oblivions building before the catwalk, someone leant against them once and it wasn't pretty. :lol

Perhaps they might move them to cloud cuckoo land and list them as an attraction :lol

[CoasterCrazyChris]

Make no mistake - Alton Towers is being run into the ground by Merlin.

They have used the incident last year as an excuse to cut further the parks budgets and opening hours, remove entertainments almost completely and on top of this close rides and completely remove others in the name of "refurbishments" which seem to be taking longer than the the rides themselves took to build originally and in most cases not at all. In other words nothing less than a smokescreen for budget cuts and ride removals.

The majority of this has been taking place since at least 2011 so it CANNOT be blamed entirely on The Smiler but I can confidently say that this is the worst period for poor management the park has experienced in at least the 8 and a half years since I joined this forum and from the evidence probably in its entire history as a theme park. Things have become so poor by 2015/16 that the undertaking of what I would consider a standard end of season refurbishment program has been cynically marketed to enthusiasts by the park as "Towers Loving Care" and sadly many of you lot seem to lap it up like they are doing anything extraordinary.

What we are talking about is practically essential cleaning and painting which any self respecting theme park carries out at last once every year in order to be at a presentable level for a place of its reputation. This very site used to contain closed season picture archives of refurbishment works from 2001 to at least 2007 showing far greater refurbishment works than seen this year yet at the time this was rightly seen as normal for a park like Alton Towers and went by unnoticed. And this was during the age of crap investments like the Splash Karts, Dung Heap and Haunted Hollow!!

What is worse is when they do manage to scrape together funding for refurbishments the majority are carried out to a pi$$ poor standard. Splash Landings looks like it has been repainted by a bunch of toddlers with crayons. Nemesis and Towers Street has been half painted and left because apparently there is no money to finish the job?! And this is from the supposed largest and number one theme park in the United Kingdom?! There are far too many other poor instances of amateur workmanship to name. Frankly I can't be bothered to explain the quality shortfalls with The Smiler either.....but masses of concrete, a torturous queue, poor landscaping, cheap theming and danger of loss of limbs just about covers it. Two minutes being turned upside down does not make up for a previous two hours of waiting in a poorly designed and often flooded cattle-pen surrounded in every direction by often very rude people. Just a total lack of professionalism and attention to the guest experience.

It is saddening to see the state of the park in general. The great immersive themed areas of the 1990's which were brilliant for British standards at the time - especially Forbidden Valley, X-Sector and Katanga Canyon ruined by years of neglect, poorly designed shoehorned tat and a general lack of attention to anything other than what generates immediate revenues. The lossof Ripsaw in particular is a real atmosphere killer in that area of the park. X-Sector at one time looked pretty cool and edgy with its late 90s Y2K aesthetic now it is a mess of garish yellow and orange paint, overgrown plants and overflow queue areas with a cringeworthy soundtrack played around the place.

The park and hotels would need millions invested into them to bring them anywhere near the quality levels of the majority of similarly sized European parks the kind Merlin will never be prepared to do even on a moderate scale. Yet they fail to realise that this investment is what is needed to generate long term prosperity for a theme park and keep bringing guests back year on year. It is also practically criminal how they fail to capitalise on two of the parks greatest assets - the Towers and Gardens. Instead they continue to market only to the lowest common denominator visitor which sadly makes up the majority of the park's visitors these days.

Expect more of exactly the same in 2017.

[Kraken]

CoasterCrazyChris - above - makes many very valid points. I would agree that Alton Towers has not been as bad as it currently is since the "dark years" of 2003-2005 when the place was run into the ground.

What we did see in 2005/6 was a change of management team that really did turn the place around. Broken things were finally fixed & many improvements made. What did we get next? Merlin.

Whilst I hate to say it, the focus at Alton Towers (& other Merlin parks) is very much on the contents of your wallet, as opposed to ensuring that all guests have a great day out. If you want proof that high standards are attainable in Europe without an all-year round season [i.e. Disney] then look no further than Europa Park. Excellent theming, excellent rides, reliable rides, top notch hotels (all 4* Superior standard) and cheaper prices than Merlin parks.

As above, I would love Alton Towers to "rediscover the magic" and really invest in it's product offering to give guests the magical day out they once had there (about 15yrs ago). Sadly, I fear with the current ownership it will never happen as corporate governance will take precedent. Who owns Europa Park? A family who also happen to be a large ride manufacturer - the park is essentially their brochure of rides to prospective customers & as such, the focus on quality shines through.

I've had dinner in Hotel Colosseo & Roland Mack has wandered through to check standards are being maintained - when was the last time a Merlin CEO or board member wandered through one of their hotels in the evening to check on standards?

[Theo]

CoasterCrazyChris - above - makes many very valid points. I would agree that Alton Towers has not been as bad as it currently is since the "dark years" of 2003-2005 when the place was run into the ground.

What we did see in 2005/6 was a change of management team that really did turn the place around. Broken things were finally fixed & many improvements made. What did we get next? Merlin.

Whilst I hate to say it, the focus at Alton Towers (& other Merlin parks) is very much on the contents of your wallet, as opposed to ensuring that all guests have a great day out. If you want proof that high standards are attainable in Europe without an all-year round season [i.e. Disney] then look no further than Europa Park. Excellent theming, excellent rides, reliable rides, top notch hotels (all 4* Superior standard) and cheaper prices than Merlin parks.

As above, I would love Alton Towers to "rediscover the magic" and really invest in it's product offering to give guests the magical day out they once had there (about 15yrs ago). Sadly, I fear with the current ownership it will never happen as corporate governance will take precedent. Who owns Europa Park? A family who also happen to be a large ride manufacturer - the park is essentially their brochure of rides to prospective customers & as such, the focus on quality shines through.

I've had dinner in Hotel Colosseo & Roland Mack has wandered through to check standards are being maintained - when was the last time a Merlin CEO or board member wandered through one of their hotels in the evening to check on standards?

Exactly. Merlin don't care about the "magic", they care about what's in the bank. All the honestly could care about at this point is expansion into the asian market, and even if half the rides are down (cough cough legoland dubai) it'/ ok because suckers have already bought tickets to get in. As long as people will continue to visit, they'll keep running their old parks into the ground as much as possible.

[MakoMania]

TLC twitter updates will return in January:

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[Jack_S]

TLC twitter updates will return in January:

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I can't wait to find out what rides will be shut for 2017 in the name of TLC.

[Jack]

Hopefully they fix the supposedly "finished" repaint of everybody's favourite alien

[Sawboss]

Hopefully they fix the supposedly "finished" repaint of everybody's favourite alien

They're repainting E.T?

[Stan.H]

If Hex was to go... TLC = Towers Leaving Classics (thing that makes sense! )

TLC imo is great, yet a marketing stunt - they should be doing this anyway, and they're also using this as an excuse for budget cuts.

I'd like them to revamp The Smiler (queueline, paint job, clean it all and if its possible sort out the drainage), bring back Hex as well as add some new flats.

[Nickolai]

If Hex was to go... TLC = Towers Leaving Classics (thing that makes sense! )

TLC imo is great, yet a marketing stunt - they should be doing this anyway, and they're also using this as an excuse for budget cuts.

I'd like them to revamp The Smiler (queueline, paint job, clean it all and if its possible sort out the drainage), bring back Hex as well as add some new flats.

I quite agree! However, I would like that to be more broad and say X-Sector needs a refurb. Although this would cost more money, as well as The Smiler looking a bit run down and rotten, Oblivion needs a whole lot of work that needs carrying out.

[Zach]

Very interesting, first update from TLC on The Smiler! Could this mean the paint brushes are out else where I wonder ?

[Liam.W]

I hope this means they are doing some more work on the smiler! Or even better, whole of x-sector!