TT Smilefest 2015 - Reviews & Feedback

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Rob
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Please leave your feedback & reviews for the 2015 SMILEFEST event below.
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Jack
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Might post more later but I can safely say that this has been one of the best events so far! :D
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SuperWill
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These events just keep on getting better and better! Loved every single moment of today! Everyone had smiles on their faces and we had some great laughs! I even stayed with the main group for a bit! The exclusive ride times on The Smiler and Rita were awesome! Got 6 rides on Rita (3 on front row) and 5 on Smiler! This has to be the best event I've ever attended! If you haven't been to a TowersTimes event yet then why haven't you!? You're missing out on some fantastic fun! Thanks for a brilliant day TowersTimes! You did a fantastic job at organising this fantastic event! :D
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Credit to Lewis97 :) 

Sit back, it's fright time! :D
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definedancing
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Sorry about having to evac you all on Sonic in the rain. ;)
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MikeyB1987
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Hi folks, just got home from a thoroughly enjoyable trip to Towers!

I'm a newbie to TTF meets but saw this advertised on Facebook through friends who visit Towers more than I do and decided that the price was well worth giving it a go, £40 including park admission is a pretty good deal. The main reason I wanted to come is that I've only been on the Smiler 4 times prior to today and so I've been unable to form a clear opinion on the ride. Thanks to today's ERT I've been able to confirm my initial opinion that it's OK but unlikely to break into my top 10 anytime soon, but worth a ride so long as the queue is respectable. I did enjoy my 5 goes despite the inclement weather though!
On another day I would then have stuck with the group but myself and Scott are both carrying injuries so not feeling 100%, and to that end we had agreed with each other previously that we would do our own thing at our own pace today. As it was, the park being so quiet meant that we could comfortably get plenty of rides in without overstretching ourselves.
Onto the Rita ERT and again I haven't ridden it too often in recent years for various reasons so again it was nice to get a few rides in (I think I got 7 in the end). It's not my favourite Intamin launcher by a long shot, that award goes to Furius Baco but I felt the purple train gave a really good ride today.

I would have liked to have stayed for a drink with you all but early starts, hungry people and the need to get people back to Manchester to catch trains meant that we decided to set straight off when we got back to the hotel.

Also for us as the team behind Club Pleasure Beach Experience, it was great to see how another Club does things and be able to enjoy an event for once without the stresses associated with organising!

I did have a good day (some might say 'Best Day Eva'!) and will be looking to come to another of your events in the future, maybe the July one. In the meantime, it would be great to welcome you guys to a CPBE event or to BPB in general.

Thanks once again for a really enjoyable day (I'm 'Di Maria' by the way for anyone who's wondering!)
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NemesisRider
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What a great day!

I arrived late on park but thoroughly enjoyed the Rita ERT and the social. Everyone I talked to was very friendly and happy to have a chat about Alton Towers and roller coasters.

During the ERT I got 4 rides and took some pictures. The ride op also had a great sense of humour :lol

Warning! This post is very picture heavy! And the pictures are quite large!

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Thanks TT for a great day!
theninjacat20

OMG yesterday was one of the best days I have ever had at Towers. If you haven't been to a TT or SP event I absolutely recommend it.
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alicheesy
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It was a really fun day and the ERTs were amazing!!! Sorry about my lack of speech...
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Thank you to Owen for the most fabulous signature to ever exist ever
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coasterchemist
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Wow – What a day!! Being new to the group and to TT events, I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect. Having been on my first meet though, I have bad news for all those who spent the day with me – I’m hooked!! It was an unforgettable day from start to finish.

My first ever ERT experience was at the beginning of the day on The Smiler. The ride crew were great, with the queue never getting longer than a 1 train wait. The rain made it slightly less comfortable than it would’ve been without it, although it didn’t detract too much from the overall experience. After ERT finished and the slightly perturbed masses were finally allowed to ride, I stuck with the main group as we began taking over almost every ride in the park. A personal highlight from the day was the reaction from most of the Ride Ops when they asked how many were in our party. I don’t think they expected to hear “34” as the answer! Lunch was next, with some of the group heading to Woodcutters and others going to the Explorer’s Pizza and Pasta Buffet. More ride takeovers continued after lunch, including the Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure. Unfortunately, very few people managed a ride on Sonic Spinball though. After waiting nearly 1 hour in a posted 20 minute queue time, the ride then stopped just as we reached the front of the line so it was fastpasses all round for the next time.

The day in the park ended with ERT on Rita, which was celebrating it’s 10th birthday. Whilst this isn’t the best coaster in the park, the Ride Ops and the group put it on a par with the ERT earlier in the day. Comments including “Welcome to Rita – Only 20mph slower than Stealth” and “Welcome to the 7th best rollercoaster in the park; after The Smiler, Oblivion, Nemesis, Air, Spinball and Thir13een”, as well as turning out the red countdown lights on one of my runs only added to the experience.

After this, we went back to the Splash Landings Hotel for the much-hyped TT Social. As I wasn’t staying on site, I hit the bar straight away with some of the other participants. Service times in the restaurants here meant that most of the group arrived later, although that wasn’t a problem as there was entertainment in the bar in the form of Pina Colada, a rather interesting character. After everyone else arrived, the unparalleled awesomeness of the TT Social really began. I was told beforehand of a tradition within the group; the Superhero Dance and, after Pina Colada made Michelle feel awkward at the bar and Zach the leader of a conga line, and Zach and Georgia gave a rather impressive rendition of the Time Warp, the music started and the guys all hit the stage. I thought I was safe watching next to Alex, who was filming it but nope, Paul came up to me, picked me up and planted me firmly on the stage. After the song finished, another began and we kept going for that too. I think there’s a video of it around somewhere. I knew I would have to leave early as I had a 2 hour drive ahead of me, although I was enjoying myself so much that it was nearly midnight by the time I actually left.

So that was my first TT Event. I made some new friends and had the best day I’ve ever had at AT. A huge thank you to the TT Team, the participants and all those at AT that made the day unforgettable. Before this event, I was unsure about going down to the Southern Weekender, although now I’m counting the days until it all begins again at TP.
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lauren-uk-2k6
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Hey guys we had a fab day yesterday was just awesome thank u for all ur hard work putting it together for us all. All I can say role on summer sizzler xx


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SmilerLover
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This was my first TT Event, and it was awsome!

I loved the ERT on both The Smiler and Rita, and although the weather did turn really nasty at times, I still enjoyed myself! I wish I could have been at the TT social, but I had to leave in order to get home before some stupidly late hour. Apart from that it was an awsome day, with nothing to be desired.

After this experiance I can't wait for the summer sizzler!
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Credit to NemesisRider for this awsome signature! :moj
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Capt.Barnacles
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A year on from my first event, this was my fifth. Every time, I haven't been disappointed once :)

Smilefest lasted two days for me technically, with a behind the scenes tour on The Smiler on Friday afternoon. Needless to say it was incredible, with access to nearly every ride area except for the indoor drop and the 'amphitheatre' (Staffordshire Knot pit). Some up close and personal experiences including a flexed arm hang from a couple of track segments :lol

Saturday came around and was just amazing from start to finish, The Smiler ERT got a bit moist, got 5 rides in during the half hour, and separated from the main group with a small group of friends for the majority of the day. Regrouped with everyone for the Rita ERT, which culminated in a happy birthday singsong for Rita, a three cheers interrupted by launching the last train. The TT social proved better than ever, many laughs and smiles, along with an accidental announcement shared among people I can now call my closest friends :)

Sunday was supposed to be a relaxed day, however mother nature didn't want that it would seem. Wet, manic, and fairly eventful. All I can say from Sunday afternoon is, I only wanted my fish done rare :P

Overall a brilliant weekend, a massive thanks to all the Team, especially Rob for organising it all, bring on the Southern Weekender! :D
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Dan
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I'm really struggling with where to begin.

I know i've said it before but this was easily my best weekend at a theme park.

The Smilefest event itself was great. I managed 5 rides on The Smiler in our 30 minutes ERT, which finished with front row on the last exclusive train we had. The rest of the day was spent leisurely wandering the park with the main group. As always with TTSP events, it's not about cramming in as many rides as possible, it's about the social factor and just generally having a great time with the awesome people i've met since attending my first meet a year ago, and this event was no exception. The Blade takeover was a particular highlight, i'm not sure when the last time that ride was so full was.

The Rita ERT was again fantastic, the ride op controlling really went out of his way to add a comedy factor to it and it really heightened the experice (another highlight was singing Happy Birthday to Rita and the train being launched on the third "hooray") I managed 7 or 8 rides in the 30 minute session, although my neck was slightly dislodged from my spine at the end of it.

After a quick bite to eat in SGR, it was time for the legendary TT Social. Superhero Dance and BFLF were done with a small amount of co-ordination, lots of alcohol was consumed (they even kept the bar open until 3am due to the clocks changing, although i'm not sure this was deliberate) by which point there was only 3 of us left standing. This was quickly reduced to 2 and we sat in the bar drunkenly rambling until the very small hours.

Over the course of the weekend a few of us did a BTS on Th13teen, which was excellent. They took us everywhere you could think to go, with the exception of the bottom of the hydraulic room. Unfortunatley my phone died so I couldnt take any photos but it really is a great experience and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

All in all it was an awesome event weekend and I can't wait to do it all again at the Southern Weekender. Hope to see you all there! #TTSPfamily
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Chris_c_4
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This was my first TT event, and based on how awesome it was, I will definitely be back for more!

Interesting talk about the maintenance of The Smiler - especially nice to see some of the wheels. (Since Pleasure Beach have started selling wheels, I've recently become a bit of a wheel geek - so it was nice to compare them!)

Awesome ERT on The Smiler despite the weather! I went round as part of the group for a bit which was great fun - especially on Blade - probably the most entertaining ride I've ever had on it! :lol The Rita ERT was fun - the ride op on control was especially great :lol Unfortunately I couldn't go to the TT social as we needed to set off to get back home - hopefully I'll be able to do it next time :)

Overall it was an awesome event - everyone was really friendly. Massive thanks to everyone who was involved in organising it and to the staff who were involved! Looking forward to the next one :)
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Horcruxer
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This was my first TT event and I really enjoyed it. Both ERT sessions were great and I'm gutted I can't make the Thorpe Park/Chessington event, though I'm definitely going to save up and try to come to the Sizzler.

James
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girlgooner
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Smilefest has been amazing!
Yet again another awesome meet. These events get better & better each time, i'm yet to be disappointed with one.
The ERT on Smiler was brilliant I wish I could of stayed on longer (but i was erm ill we shall say lol) Going round with the gang was brilliant even though I skipped off for a cpuple of hours I manged to meet up for the Rita ERT never been a fan of Rita myself but thanks to other members I did the ride 5 times and even braved front row & it was MEGA! Fear of Rita gone thanks to TT.

Evening again was brilliant the TT socials are alway's worth a visit even if only for one or two drinks, everyone who goes has a brilliant time they usually finish late though and with the clocks going forwards that didnt help this time lol.

Massive thank you to everyone who came to the event because its members who make them work.
Massive shout out goes to ALL the TT team who have again pulled together a fantastic event worth every penny met some brilliant people and met up with some ive known a while.

Thanks to you all and im looking forward to the next event in a little over 3 weeks.

TTSP I love you guys
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Martin
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I can't speak for the whole team ( as much as I'd like to....lol ) but I'm sure every one of us agrees that Smilefest was a total and utter blast from start to finish.
I would like to thank every single Advocate that attended for making this event what I believe to be the most successful event for TTSP yet.
From the relatively painless check in process to the first ever ERT on The Smiler, from all the ride take overs (in particular the Blade take over) to the Exclusive Rita ride time, you all made it a pleasure to be part of such a dedicated team and community.
The hard work, time and effort, that is put into these events is truly worth it when we have such great feedback from you guys telling us how much you have enjoyed yourselves as seen above.
I would also like to thank Alton Towers Resort too, because without there co-operation none of the above would be possible.
BOW TIES ARE COOL!
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Michelle
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It's hard to find something to say which hasn't already been covered by people above but I wanted to say that personally I think this event was absolutely fantastic because of the brilliant mix of old faces and new!

Absolutely made up to have been able to meet so many new people and it's always a pleasure to see people returning who are still having as much fun as they did on their first event.
The ERT's were excellent despite the rain making The Smiler a rather painful experience and the talk from maintenance was a really interesting way to start the day.
Thanks to Rob for organising the day and to Towers for being so accommodating and sorting out the monorail to save our little legs but mostly to the members a lot of whom are now good friends :)
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Alex
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Having been at the first event it is great to see how quickly TTSP events have grown, its a testament to the team that there is such a large core of members who attend most or if not all the events!

As Michelle mentioned above, most of the things I have said will have been covered by the reviews above but I'll mention them again anyway.

The Smiler ERT was brilliant as I was able to get 4 rides in during the 30 mins plus all of them were on the front row! However this was not the highlight of the day for me, the takeover of The Blade was. Since most of the group had stayed together at this point we were able to takeover the whole ride and the amount of noise that was being made was quite literally turning heads! Even with a relatively large group we were able to get on pretty much all the rides during the day (aside from Sonic due to it being evacuated multiple times) and the day finished with 30 mins ERT on Rita. The ride op (Dan) was superb and really made the experience with his witty comments inbetween the trains launching. The night finished with the social which was a brilliant way to end the day.

Thanks once again to the team for all the effort they put in to ensure the events are successful. Bring on the Southern Weekender! :)
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Justin
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What a weekend. It was great to meet up with the gang again and loved every minute of it!

Registration was swift ;) and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. It was also great to see some new people joining us for the first time. The lanyards were a very nice touch for everyone to have and it made the group stand out more :) Mine is now being used to pin all my event badges to!

As most of you know; The Smiler is my all time favourite coaster, so the Technical Talk was very interesting to me. It was great that they had parts to hand around to hold. Luckily I got to touch them all. Not a massive deal to many but it was an unexpected extra which I thoroughly enjoyed!

The Smiler ERT was out of this world. When Dan.N asked if I was going round for the 5 time I just had to shake my head as I was well and truly corrected! I stuck with the main group, apart from an hour or so when I had to take time out with someone who who shall remain unnamed ;), however takeovers were great, especially on Thirteen and TT: The Ride! Rita ERT was brilliant and Dan who operated the ride certainly made it an experience to remember. His witty comments were some of the best ever!

The social was good and it was a pleasure to meet up with some of the gang on the Sunday. I'm counting down the days to the next event!
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