On-Ride Breakdown Experiences

Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:20 am

Inferno the other week... Stuck on final break run for 15 minutes or so due to an unspecified electrical failure. They cycled a few empty trains, and it was good to go - as is often the case with these minor faults.

Sun Jun 23, 2013 10:26 am

The smiler broke down yesterday

Sun Jun 23, 2013 11:55 am

what time? because i dont think it did, i was on park.

Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:35 pm

I went on 25th May, Duel... Just left the little bit at the beginning and we heard.. "The ride shall start again momentarily" about 20 times! In there for about 30 min

Sun Jun 23, 2013 12:48 pm

Hari wrote: I went on 25th May, Duel... Just left the little bit at the beginning and we heard.. "The ride shall start again momentarily" about 20 times! In there for about 30 min

did you get loads of points, or did it stop working?

Mon Jun 24, 2013 4:31 pm

Hari wrote: I went on 25th May, Duel... Just left the little bit at the beginning and we heard.. "The ride shall start again momentarily" about 20 times! In there for about 30 min

about 4:00 for 10 minuets

Thu Jul 04, 2013 12:50 pm

First ever breakdown that I can think of.

Was in the queue for storm surge and it took an hour. Got on the ride and finally got up the hill. My friend however was being a jinx on that day and said "you watch we will break down at the top" and what happened? We break down at the top.

Billy came up and was a legend and spoke to us for 20 minutes. If anyone knows what his full name was please give it me. He is a legend!

Thu Jul 04, 2013 1:26 pm

My pals and I got stuck on the Skyride for ages!

Sat Jul 27, 2013 10:19 pm

At West Midlands Safari Park I was stuck right at the top of a Venom, the operator got a mega-phone and shouted 'Sorry, I broke the ride!' We sat there for 10 minutes and suddenly we dropped straight down without notice to him to shout 'Fixed It.'

Thu Aug 08, 2013 1:55 am

Experienced a Skyride 'stop-and-swing' but hasn't everyone.

This year we had to wait for about 5 or 10 minutes to go back into the station on Th13teen after the ride finished because some man and his crying lady friend were having an argument with staff.

We heard the warning about cameras on Oblivion whilst in the queue and saw staff going up in harness.

I also vividly remember seeing smoke coming from somewhere on a ride when we went this year for the second time but I can't for the life of me remember what ride. I remember pointing it out to my brother. I want to say Nemesis?

None Alton Towers:

Got told Shambahla in Portaventura was closed and for everyone to leave the queue. Thankfully we'd only just joined the queue so it wasn't like we'd been waiting long. Later went on it that evening.

The carts stopped disembarking on the Ghost Train at Blackpool once causing something of a backlog of cars. This was years ago. I remember a group of 'lads' cheering and the dirty looks they got off staff.

Thu Aug 08, 2013 9:23 am

Air, when I was asked to "prepare for air" and "assume the position" around 5 times!

Pinocchio ride at Disneyland and the lights came on and we stuck for 20min.

Wed Aug 21, 2013 10:25 am

Got stuck on Air in the station- Assumed the slightly uncomfortable position for half an hour! Afterwards we got free water and 1 fastpass for a ride, yet all the queues that day were less than the fastpass point! We lost the fastpass anyway...

Wed Aug 21, 2013 7:48 pm

This years the first year I've ever been on rides that broke down (Been given 4 priority pass so far since June...But two of those were from being in the queue when the Smiler shut)

When I went in June I went on Th13teen and it got stuck just as it had left the station and had just started going up the lift hill. Was only there about 2 minutes and got given a priority pass! Might have been just because it was the first train of the day.

A few weeks ago on Ripsaw me and friend got stuck at the top and that wasn't so nice as were there about 15 minutes and started to become quite aware of how warm it was and wasn't really keen on not knowing if we were just going to start swinging...

Thu Aug 22, 2013 6:36 am

Not at AT, but on the vampire at chessington, we had done a regular circuit when we pulled into the dark holding room. That's when the ride broke down. Stuck there for 15 minutes in the complete darkness

What's even more worrying was they gave us another go round (nice of them) whilst an engineer was still doing something in the station!

EDIT: I have also been stuck right at the front of loggers leap queue, there for 40 minutes, was given a priority pass

Fri Aug 23, 2013 11:12 am

Expedition Everest shortly after it opened. Test Track when my belt didn't work properly. Oh, and The Smiler, on numerous occasions. That's kind of expected now though to be honest, I actually think it adds to the overall ride experience.

Fri Aug 23, 2013 8:45 pm

Got stuck on stealth for 15 mins after the launch failed (Different to a roll back) and the train slipped back in the station. after that the train was just rocked back and forth in the station for the train to catch the latch again. Unfortuantly as it was raining the tyres couldn't power the train enough to hook it back on so it took 20 mins for us to finally launch.

Wed Sep 04, 2013 9:45 pm

Me and my mum were on the old haunted house when there was a power cut. We were just at the end of the ride and had to climb out of the cars. I don't mind admitting although it wasn't a big deal it was quite scary at the time. When we got outside it turned into more of an annoyance as it was pouring with rain and none of the rides were working. At the same time my dad and sister narrowly avoided being stuck on the Runaway Mine Train.

Aparrantley my mum and sister got stuck on the Congo River Rapids on one occasion. The rapid that they were on drifted to the side of the track just before the lift hill at the end. Also my mum and sister once went on the Vintage car ride whilst me and my dad went on something else. When we met up my mum said "Guess what happened to your sister's vintage car" and my sister said "it broke down".

I have also been on the Haunted House and Duel a couple of times when the ride has stopped and an announcement has been played "Sorry for the delay, the ride will be opening shortly" only for it to restart again moments later.

Other than this, I know it wasn't a ride but during one visit, we were waiting ages for my dad to come out of the toilets. Finally he appeared telling us that he had got stuck in one of the cubicles.

Thu Sep 05, 2013 7:05 pm

Usually when Duel stops and plays the announcement they are letting a disabled guest onto the ride (therefore having to stop the carriages moving in the station).

Thu Sep 05, 2013 9:00 pm

Not really, I got stuck on the Skyline for ten minutes near Rita but that's just typical. I know this isn't Alton Towers related but I once got stuck at the top of the first lift hill for half an hour on Vampire at CWOA. Good times.

Sun Sep 15, 2013 1:20 pm

Jamie wrote: Usually when Duel stops and plays the announcement they are letting a disabled guest onto the ride (therefore having to stop the carriages moving in the station).

Thanks for explaining. I'm sure I've been on the Skyride when its stopped in the middle. I remember the old cable cars having a notice in them informing guests that the ride may stop to accommodate wheelchairs and pushchairs. Does the new system have this and do they make any sort of announcement if it stops temporarily? I'm guessing they would do if there was a problem with the ride and guests were stranded.