The Smiler

[Danny]

Some people's expectations are just unbelievable 
If you can't see how amazing this coaster is you must have had your eyes closed. The theming is probably the most thought of and expensive theming in the park and calling it cringey doesn't even make sense. By complaining about the vertical lift hill you clearly saying it would be better without it, so what would you say takes its place?

A Vertical drop.

And as for the rides theme, what is it really about? Making people smile? Is that the best they could think of?! For us, the nerds that look into this stuff meticulously it makes sense; for the general public, it seems unnecessarily outlandish and odd. Nemesis is an alien in a pit, that's cool. Oblivion is a scary drop into a gaping hole, that's cool. Air is experiencing flight; cool.

Admittedly, The Smiler thematically trumps both Thirteen and Rita. But that highlights an issue here: AT are trying to hard to make these rides themed in unique ways but the result is people don't care enough about the weirdly unique.

Barely anyone knows what Thirteen even is; Rita makes literally no sense, then here comes a big ride based in the Sci-Fi part of the park which revolves around... making people have massive grins?...

As if this odd experimental nonsense has replaced a cool dark ride about going to Space... did anyone who rode this actually 'feel' the effects of the rides theme? No, nobody came off it with a huge grin or uncontrollable hysteria... it's a roller coaster. They had fun, and some people got scared. No one had an LSD trip.

If they keep it simple, they wouldn't end up with people asking what the hell the Smiler is all about. IMHO this ride could have utilized its infrastructure in a much cooler way than a giant spinning toilet brush. For crying out loud the Swarm has a freaking plane on fire! There should be more fire!

Yes but the swarm is basically over in 30 seconds excluding lift hills. So what is fire a key element to rides? I understand they don't get the story across to the public but to say its a bad coaster i just don't understand. Obviously your not going to come off literally looking like the smiler actors but everyone I know come off and only had good things to say about it

[ponder]

I kind of agree with Jimbo! to a degree, even though I do really like The Smiler, after my first ride I did feel a little underwhelmed. Fortunately, my 2nd ride 'corrected' that, although I still wouldn't consider Smiler to be a coaster that'd challenge my top 5, and nor does it particularly challenge Nemesis in my opinion. It's a shame that Oblivion was closed during my 2 day visit, because it would've been interesting to genuinely compare the 7 coasters at Alton Towers.

For me, Nemesis is still my no.1, and I have a *feeling* that Oblivion would still be my no.2, but that doesn't make Smiler a bad ride by any means. In fact, it's a very good coaster and a fantastic and essential addition to the park, but the best coasters in the world don't jerk you around like those final 3 inversions do - well, they certainly didn't when they opened!

It was interesting seeing other people's reactions in the park as well. One conversation I overheard was along the lines of:

Man 1: The queue said 90 minutes but was closer to 2 hours.
Man 2: Was it worth it?
Man 1: Not really.

In a way, that kind of sums it up. It's not worth a 2 hour+ queue. Much like Saw was never worth it's lengthy que times on opening, and very much like how Rita isn't worth it's persistent 45 minute+ queues.

I think once it settles down, and the excitement over riding the big new ride dies down, it'll sit nicely in X-Sector, with (hopefully) sensible queue times, and continue to do a great job for Alton Towers, much like it's X-Sector counterpart has done.

[getothing]

II've finally been corrected by the smiler,

I can say it's a beater nemesis.

It was long and intense, quite airtime.No was not painful and my friends thought the same as me.

Then we went on nemesis, and I thought, this Disappointed, was intense but the beginning it seemed very sudden, my head felt a strong blow to the corkscrew.

Overall nemesis is good but wow the smiler is amazing, I do not know if people know what nemesis defends intense is the smiler, but hey, my nemesis is a gem, was a novelty, but the smiler is much better.

Do not know if I was lucky and I got to the train soft, but I felt it was soft and not painful, it was great

the smiler 9.8 / 10

nemesis 9.5 / 10

[Jason oblivions boy :)]

Finally ridden The Smiler . Took me two times to ride it to realise how amazing it is, the ride has one of the best queues I have ever seen and the effects are truly satisfying definitely knocks Nemesis of its high horse !!                                          

---

.  Get corrected

[tyrex]

Sorry to say but I'm with ponder above. I wasn't particularly blown away by The Smiler either.

Currently touring around the North West USA riding coasters in lots of different parks and every comparison I'm making is not with The Smiler, it is with Nemesis. That is the hallmark of a good ride.

As some have said, it is a great addition to the park and Alton/Merlin are to be commended for investing in their rides, but I'm positive it won't reach anything near 'classic' status in the long run. Looking forward to the crowds dying down a little so I can get a few more rides on all the coasters though 

[RoyalFool]

Rode it a couple of times over the weekend and it really hurt my shoulders.

This morning the kids pointed out I have some pretty nasty bruises on my shoulders - I knew it hurt but didn't realize it had actually caused some bad bruising.

I like the ride, all the elements are great - but if it's physically hurting to ride it something is very wrong. The second time I rode I tried a few tricks to avoid my shoulders getting bashed (like leaning right up against the supports etc) but nothing seemed to help.

I hear that there is a "bad train" so maybe I was unlucky to get this one twice?

[getothing]

Every time you ride the Smiler, I do not feel any discomfort. I find the general ride smooth, although the ending is rather abrupt (Saw, is much worse however). Overall I think the coaster is great and find Gerstlauer a softer ride. In my opinion, it is a much better ride than Nemesis because it is exciting and is auited to a broad range of tastes. Although, I would still say Nemesis is more intense.

Team Edit: General SPG clean up

[lewis97]

Of course the highlight of my first trip to Alton Towers, was getting to ride The Smiler which I have followed for over a year extremely intently. It was even better that I managed to ride it twice.

Although we did get on it twice, both times we were put on the back row so I can only give a perspective from that position. As has been mentioned on here, there are some crazy vibrations at the back which seems to be linked with the screeching noise the trains make.

Anyway, the projection mapping is a nice touch,  but as it was so dark in there after walking in from outside, I almost walked into the fencing. I remembered someone on here saying to look up in the Baggage area, and am still slightly confused why they felt sticking paint rollers to the ceiling was appropriate... Also the mist that is part of the dispatch sequence wasn't working for my second ride at about 3.30, not that it detracted much from the ride.

I have seen POVs so knew what to expect, but the music before the first lift is incredibly loud. I hoped to be on a train that successfully dueled, but I wasn't, and didn't see any trains properly duel at any point during the day. If I hadn't known the layout so well, I wouldn't have been aware where I was going, as it was just one inversion after another. It was a couple of minutes of surreal enjoyment, as I finally got to ride it, concluding my 'Smiler journey'. However, being on the back row did make me realise how much the train slows down when going through the exit of the Batwing, I really don't know what's happened there...

To summarise; an excellent all round coaster, and I can't wait to return and hopefully ride front row.

Oh, and here's my ORP - I'm in the stripey jumper...

[Barty]

Here is my review...

BEST IN THE WORLD

[Joshysqaushy]

So after being "corrected" 4 times its time for my review 

On Wednesday I got on the monorail & headed straight for the single rider queue of the smiler, seeing it for the first time after following the construction really is breathtaking, the whole ride itself is massive and usually i don't get nervous on rides but while queuing up for it my heart was racing; the 3d projection room indoors was quick and soon enough i was on the front row of the smiler just a few moments away from marmalisation...

The ride started off quick with a sharp banked drop into darkness & lots of hangtime, the first inverted drop takes you by surprise and the rest of the first half was smooth as butter, then the vertical lift came which was actually quite fun and after going down the second inverted drop and the sea-serpent roll is where it gets really fun... the airtime on the second airtime hill (with the inoculator) was amazing (here is when i tried to brace myself for the infamous jolt on the cobra roll but surprisingly enough i hardly noticed it) If your going to go on the smiler i advise you try to sit on the front because on my 4th ride i did notice there were a few vibrations near the back...

Here is my onride photo from Wednesday morning...

[3T]

Just been on the Smiler for the first time today (technically yesterday now). I was very impressed with the theming and general look of the ride, including inside the station. The white interior felt quite unique, and all the little features dotted around such as text which are part painted on the wall and supports, so when you view it at a certain angle you can read what it says. The spider/marmaliser (I hate that word) thing is very impressive.

I still hate the theme and the name, but it's been done really well. The theme is just a bit too weird/ridiculous. The music sounded good at first, very imposing and atmospheric, but then the main part kicked in and it was the worst thing I have ever heard. I think I would rather listen to bob the builder on repeat.

The ride itself looks particularly impressive, with some inversions looking much taller than I expected. I saw the trains duelling several times which looked amazing! The yellow and black colour scheme works very well.

On my first ride I was on the third row, and from reading the forums I know some people have mentioned the ride to be quite rough for a new ride. However the first half of the ride felt reasonably smooth, given the number of inversions. I can't say I noticed any airtime on the hill though, but I guess I wasn't concentrating on that. The inversions were nice and varied, but I arrived at the second lift hill feeling quite dizzy. Maybe they should have balanced the number of right/left inversions? Or maybe that's the point!

The vertical lift hill still makes me nervous (as on Saw) for some reason, so it's a nice addition! The second airtime hill I noticed, but I didn't think it was much when comparing it to Rita or Thirteen for example. The restraints still crush my genitals half way through the ride like on Saw. Why is it only B&M have managed to perfect the comfortable restraint? The ones on Rita are even worse.

Now the inversions in the second half is where things went really downhill (pun intended.) The last three are pretty painful and sharp, and I hurt my neck on the restraints and came off with a headache. It's not so much there is a jolt, but it seems like they are just poorly designed. The train starts to rotate, then stops, then carries on so you are thrown around.

Anyway I remember talk of a bad train, so I thought maybe that was the one (still no excuse for a new ride.) So I queued again later in the day. This time I was on the second row, and the train was vibrating badly all the way around, meaning you couldn't keep your head against the rest without getting a headache. So I thought "Aaah so this is the bad train". The first half of the ride was still mostly okay, but the second half was awful. I tried to brace this time but it made no difference. I came off the ride feeling like I had been beaten up. My shoulders hurt, my neck hurt and my head hurt.

I think this is pretty unacceptable for a brand new ride, even Nemesis is smoother and that's 19 years old! I don't know why it's like this or who is to blame, but (for me anyway) it's so bad I doubt I'll ride it again.

[RCandrew]

Me and my girlfriend went on it on Thursday at 11:30 using fast track which was well worth it! The first time we saw it in real life was when walking towards dark forest and I turned to see the beast! It is massive! So much bigger than you expect!

When our time came to get corrected it was a complete walk on, although I did stop through out the queue line to admire the theming which is also huge! When inside it is a bit hard to see because it is so dark but this just adds to the experience, especially when you then enter the bright white loading room.
We got on 3rd row and the first thing I noticed was how the restraints were slightly different to nemesis, oblivion etc and that they hold your legs more than into your body. I found this very comfortable! In fact my girlfriend doesn't usually notice this thing but she can't get over how comfortable it was!
The ride itself is amazing and I found it perfectly smooth!! The first drop inside is great and the whole first half is amazing!
The second half; going up the hill vertically really makes it much better and I must say, I noticed the second bunny hop and came right out my seat! It doesn't quite beat the last jump on rita but it is good! The only thing I noticed on a down side (as well as my girlfriend) was the inversion above the shop that jolts you a bit. This was the only thing wrong and I actually could see the piece of track coming that went a bit funny.this never ruined it for me at all though!

And honestly I could not stop smiling when it stopped or after it! :lol
The shop is amazing too! And I think this could definitely be a worlds best rollercoaster!!

[Liam B]

went on it once on Saturday. HOLY MOTHER OF JESUS that it a good coaster! A few of the effects were not working but it didn't need them! The whole thing was just so intense and fun and I got my smiler onesie haha!

[LondonLydia]

Hi,

im a new poster (been reading for a while though) so be kind!

I visited yesterday, what  a great day to go...lovely weather, minimal queues! The Smiler queue was the only one reaching an hour.

I went on The Smiler once as I exploited the lack of queues elsewhere and I'm sort of undecided about it. I'll need to go back again and decide. I had the problem that someone smelly has been sitting in my seat, the smell distracted me getting in, and I didnt set the seat up comfortably. and I was on the back row. So the ride was quite uncomfortable for me, especilaly when raising hands (I dont recommend doing that)...my shoulders were repeatedly banged into the harness which was distracting.

When we started, I thought it was too slow and I hoped it sped up. I think it's a bit too slow until you get the vertical climb to be honest, and I think that added to me feeling that the close tracks feel a bit forced as it is not a natural swoop (if that makes sense). Absolutely loved the vertical climb though, and the 2nd half was fantastic, loved the wide swoop. The best thing is that the ride is so long, that you can have favourite bits even if there are bits that are a bit 'meh'.

On coming back in the ride broke down so we were stuck on it for 10 mins, so I got some time to appreciate the optical illusions on the back of the seats in front of you. Nice little touch

In terms of theming, I didnt queue (I had fasttrack), so only saw the last bit. Mainly I felt sorry for the attendants in those awful uniforms! During the ride, I cant say I noticed it much surprisingly. Only during the stationary or slow moving bits. That may be because I rode at the back so had a lesser view and was flicked over the bends quicker...but I also think that overwhelmingly you just see the black track. Which is fine, I dont really think themeing is importnat during the ride on the smiler because it's not really designed for views etc (say compared to Nemesis or Air).

Anyway I'll likely go back later this year, and I'll make sure to ride a couple of times. I just like to go away and think about these things for a bit...

[Jevaaaans]

I think it's fair to say that The Smiler is the new best ride on park!

My first correction was yesterday morning. We ended up getting Front Row on our first go, which was great. I was on the far right, and I thought it was very nice to ride there.

After the first drop into the inline corkscrew as I'm now calling it, I was very disoriented by the Disorienter. The roll kind of threw me over to the left when we hit it which I was not expecting but it was really fun. The laugh chamber is barely audible from the front, and I never really noticed the writing on the walls (the HA HA HA). The primary lift is a good speed to build tension but not so slow as you start to get bored.

In the first half, the Inverted Drop feels great, as do the twin Dive Loops. The Batwing is fairly comfortable as is the corkscrew but I did feel rather dizzy on the break run. I presume that's due to the speed the train goes through the corkscrew at. Anyway, onto the vertical lift which I found very comfortable compared to the vertical lift on Maurer Sohne's Hollywood Rip Ride RockIt in Florida which is the only other vertical lift I've been on. I egged the car on to not stall on the hill and it didn't which was nice of it.

On the second half, everything became a bit of a daze. The inverted drop felt a bit sharper, probably as the drop goes lower before inverting. The Sea Serpent felt great however, and the Inoculator really got me first time. My eyes were misted up until around the halfway point of the cobra roll. I personally didn't feel the jerk too much coming out of it first time, but the inline afterwards packed quite a punch, as did the last inversion. The turnaround over the Pre-vertical lift area was very swift but also really enjoyable.

On the second time, we were back row. It felt pretty much the same, however I really felt the jerk out of the cobra roll and experienced what must have been 4 or 5G just going into the inline twist which I didn't feel on Row 1. But age to say the ride is amazing!

If anything they should improve the ORP services. As the baggage claim line can get quite long and the corridor from baggage to the shop is also very long and disorienting, they should keep the photos up for longer than the 60 seconds they do atm. I really wanted to get the ORP for my first ride but it was gone once we got there, around 2 minutes after the ride ended. Slightly disappointed at that. However, I made up for it with a "Made me SMILE" t shirt (XL men's, which is actually more like an XS, which is what size I am...)

The Smiler is officially my favourite ride I've ever been on, including rides from Florida

[Jammydodger]

Finally got to go on it after postponing 2 trips to it breaking down.

The queue really isn't as claustrophobic as everyone seems to be making out. There is the odd bit of engineering "genius" (i.e when a support is stuck slap bang in the middle of the queue) but I would say it never becomes any more narrower than Saw, for example. And the indoor section is really small. I think its a really unique queue line though, it certainly has the best track interaction I've ever seen on a ride. At some points I was looking around pretty much shocked they managed to get away with some things without H&S having a hissy fit about it.

Speaking of the indoor section, it certainly feels like a missed opportunity. I was really disappointed that they didn't bring back the old marmilisation process we saw in The Sanctuary. The projection mapping is decent enough but doesn't really feel all that important to the theme, it just seems tacked on.

The ride itself: Its a ride of ups and downs (no pun intended). It never has a dull moment, there's always something happening. The park has been long overdue a decent length ride, and this is it. The vertical lift is fantastic, and feels far more daunting that any other I've experienced. It moves through the elements really naturally and it just feels right. It would work on its own. Lets face it, in 5 years time, half of that Marmaliser wont be working. But that's fine. The things that matter are part of the rides very foundation. It doesn't rely heavily on gimmicky effects like fireballs and water skims. Even if the marmaliser had no interactive effects it really wouldn't matter, as it looks fantastic just as it is.

It does come with its fair share of negatives though. It certainly lacks the force of Nemesis. Every time it starts to build momentum, the next element slows it right down again. It crawls through some elements, but its not with the grace and force that you see on The Swarm, its more like it struggles to get through. The cars are indeed very rough, not even necessarily in a head banging way, but they rattle around a lot. Again using The Swarm as an example, the cars really stick to track perfectly, however in this case they really don't seem to meld together well. I certainly hope they get to go back to Gerst over the closed season for some TLC

Overall I would give it a 9/10
In my opinion it doesn't beat nemesis in terms of being a great standalone coaster (although it does come close). But because of the theme, the tension and atmosphere, as an overall ride, it does, in my eyes, completely take the crown away from Nemesis.

[Coasterkid6]

Hello, I would just like to share my review of The Smiler.

As we made our way down towards X-Sector, past Adventure land, the first thing I noticed was the heavy bass from the Smiler's awesome soundtrack, before turning the corner and seeing the Impressive beast for the first time in person. Wow! This ride looks incredible, the shear size of it and the mess of steel really dominates the whole of X-sector. One thing I noticed on the way down to the entrance was the slightly worrying sound of the screeching wheels, though I'm guessing these will wear in? The station exterior didn't look as bad as the pictures even though it is just a mass of concrete. I was lucky enough to catch a few trains duelling which looked awesome, especially through the "Staffordshire Knot" inversions.

As most of you will know, the extension queue had been moved so it trails to the bottom of X-sector opposite the "Challenge the Smiler" game stalls. I heard/saw a few people struggling to find the start of the queue and I have to agree that it's quite poorly laid out. Luckily we had won 4 free fasttrack tickets so we didn't have to wait for 2 hours in the burning sun . We made our way through the extension queue, through the slightly bland main entrance and down the steps. Here I got to appreciate the scale of the marmaliser. It looks amazing! definably one of the most impressive pieces of theming I have seen in the UK. I love the hypnotiser and inoculator legs as well as the 360° LED screens, the graphics are very impressive, though it would have been great to see ORP's displayed occasionally.  The queue was very entertaining, even if we were only outside for a very short amount of time. There's so much to look at, from trains constancy whizzing overhead, the marmaliser  and its interactivity with the trains and the queue line screens.

Before long we had reached the "Correction Block", my least favourite part of the experience. The Projection mapping was pretty "meh" and it just seemed a bit dull standing in a very dark room. My sister found it quite claustrophobic and I guess the fact it was hot inside didn't help. We weren't in there long before heading to the baggage hold. Again this area was a bit plain and could do with a little more theming. It's then up the bright staircase to the station. The station is bright white with only minimal theming, though I like this simple look as I feel it ties in well with the clinical side of the theme. Once your in the station your only there for five minutes or so. Throughout the queue and station building there is the occasional announcement informing you of your current "correction" stage, I thought these sounded quite menacing and were a nice touch. Before each train sets off there's a neat little dispatch sequence involving bright lights blinding the riders, whilst a disconcerting voice says "join us" as mist fills the tunnel ahead.  This really sets the mood, similar to Oblivion's Lord Of Darkness speech before each shuttle dispatch.

Unfortunately on my first go I got back row. The trains look pretty smart and the seats and restraints are both quite comfy. Before long, it was our turn to get corrected. The first plunge into the darkness was quite forceful and caught me by surprise. The first heartline in the dark and strobes is fun offering plenty of hangtime. You then stop at the bottom of the first lift whilst deafening manic laughter is played and orange lights go off. By this point everyone looked at each-other with a "WTF?" look. It's then up the first lift before a quick dive to the right before entering the first inverted drop. The pace held up a lot better than I expected, the transitions between inversions where fairly intense, particularly the roll after the batwing, but a bit jolty in places. I had a fairly good understanding of the layout but i still felt a little disorientated by the the time we reached the second lift. You then pass under more TV screens flickering random graphics before another booming voice informs us that we're "Half way corrected". So far so good, up the vertical lift (I liked how they incorporate two different kinds of lift). Unfortunately our train was timed a little out, so no duelling. A quick dive to the left, through the second inverted drop (with yet more hangtime) before entering my favourite set of inversions, the "sea serpent rolls". The second, "more powerful" airtime hill wasn't as powerful as I was expecting but still fun nonetheless.with a great headchopper moment. The point i was now dreading, the cobra roll. After reading other reviews stating how rough the exit of it was, I braced myself well in advance, turns out it was no where near as bad as I was expecting. I don't know what the fuss is about? The last two heart lines are fun and quite intense, a sharp turn to the left before hitting the final brake run, WOW!

Upon exiting, it's up the funky rainbow staircase, you have now been marmalised! You pass through a narrow corridor crossing the station before heading down some more steps to the baggage hold. The theming in the exit corridor is much better than the indoor queue. It's like a funhouse with illusions, crazy projections and lighting, took us and other off guard a few times! This crazy corridors eventually lead you to the well stocked smiler shop or "Buy the Smiler" as it's named. The theming doesn't end there, inside are several AR screens that add amusing effects when you look at them as well as a fake Smiler shopping channel displayed on a large screen in the centre. Upon exit of the shop is a glass floor that's almost impossible to see through!

Closing thoughts
After my first ride I felt that the ride exceeded my expectations, it had the right balance of being fun, Intense and very re-rideable. I probably rated it in my top three. After my second ride on my second day, I enjoyed it much more, mainly because I was in the second row and possibly had a better, smoother train. Currently I honestly can't decide between it and Nemesis, so I guess there at joint first place for now. As for how I'd rate it in a few years time, depends on if it just gets rougher which is a worrying factor as its not exactly smooth now. Theming wise, I love it! The marmaliser looks Incredible, even if I only noticed the flasher and hypnotiser whilst riding. The theme music suits it perfectly and is very catchy. It's also nice to see themed uniforms even if they do look a little ridiculous!

Overall a fantastic addition that certainly left me smiling! 9/10

My top five Alton coasters currently

Joint 1st - Nemesis & The Smiler
2nd - Oblivion
3rd - Th13teen
4th - Air
5th - Rita

Thanks for reading!

[sputty]

Went to AT with the Mrs just before the kids broke up for summer, we had a great day overall and the park is looking quite well. The Smiler provides a nice and impressive view when you walk into the x-sector and the queue line is fantastic, i wish AT could do the other queues up to the same standard!

As for the ride itself we went on twice, one time with queue jump and once without. Considering the amount of money which has been invested in the ride i was expecting it to be more comfortable than Saw at TP but i didn't think it was any better at all. The ride was rough as hell and my shoulders were killing by the end of the ride, those restraints dig right into your neck and although it looks impressive from far away, you fail to notice the supposedly 'marmalising' features or get time to appreciate going on because your hurtling around so fast you have no time to enjoy each individual element.

With AT being the biggest park in the UK we should be expecting some world class rides, unfortunately i don't think the Smiler would even rank in my top 20. I think waiting the extra time for a B&M (i understand gert was chosen purely because the could deliver something quickly) for the same cost would have left the park with a really memorable and special coaster.

Overall i'd give it 5/10. Its great to look at, the queue is interesting but in my opinion the ride itself fails to deliver.

[Cookie Monster]

I'ts a good ride and has a very short single riders queue i have managed to get on it 26 in one hour and a total of 76 times all together it is a great ride although it does hurt your sholders after repetitive rides. it is a good ride to put your hands up on as i found it does not bruise your arms as much

[SmileyMan]

I'ts a good ride and has a very short single riders queue i have managed to get on it 26 in one hour and a total of 76 times all together it is a great ride although it does hurt your sholders after repetitive rides. it is a good ride to put your hands up on as i found it does not bruise your arms as much

I believe you have been on it 76 times in total, but 26 times in 1 hour? The ride is 2:45 long, and taking into account that even with an empty single rider queue, it will still take you about 3-4 minutes to get back around to the start of the queue in the station. So if every ride takes about 5 minutes (Which is generously short), it would still take you 130 minutes (2 hours and 10 minutes) not an hour. Please dont exaggerate.