Alton Towers Resort General Discussion

[Justin]

It has been reported that catering outlets in the Dark Forest have reopened!

[tjreevzi00]

It has been reported that catering outlets in the Dark Forest have reopened!

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[Sawboss]

Well that can only be a good sign

[Justin]

Photos from Towers Times can be found here... " onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[mark]

Compared to Thorpe Park or even Blackpool, most of the rides at Alton Towers are too short and don't last very long, Alton is ruined by the local council's strict height restriction of nothing above tree level. For a lot of people, queuing for hours for a 1 to 2 minute ride isn't worth it. In my opinion Thorpe Park's rides are bigger, better, scarier and faster. These points may be the reason that Alton will struggle.

[Adam.W]

Compared to Thorpe Park or even Blackpool, most of the rides at Alton Towers are too short and don't last very long, Alton is ruined by the local council's strict height restriction of nothing above tree level. For a lot of people, queuing for hours for a 1 to 2 minute ride isn't worth it. In my opinion Thorpe Park's rides are bigger, better, scarier and faster. These points may be the reason that Alton will struggle.

Well, wherever you go, there will be a 1-2 hour queue, especially in the summer months. There really isn't much you can do about the short ride duration, it's just the way that it is. Comparing this to Thorpe Park is a bit like comparing a Porche and a Ferrari - they're both fast, awesome cars, but saying that one is better as it has a better shape, mirrors or paintwork is often down to opinion (I'm making it simple, the exact differences between the cars isn't my point). Alton Towers is an all round park for families and thrill seekers, whereas Thorpe is mostly aimed at thrill seekers. Saying that Alton Towers has short rides is irrelevant - all rides in thorpe only last 1-2 mins (With the exception of DBGT); I once queued an hour for ninferno and I thought it was short, but I also queued for the smiler for an hour once and thought the same thing, so comparing the two parks on that aspect is a pretty weak argument.

As you said, Alton Towers has strict planning restrictions, which over time has shaped the park we have today, which is why you could argue that thorpe has better rides (ie. Stealth vs Rita). Obviously Thorpe appeals to you since it has big thrill rides, but your views do not reflect those of everybody's, and saying that Alton will struggle because of this seems a bit one sided.

[Jack]

Compared to Thorpe Park or even Blackpool, most of the rides at Alton Towers are too short and don't last very long, Alton is ruined by the local council's strict height restriction of nothing above tree level. For a lot of people, queuing for hours for a 1 to 2 minute ride isn't worth it. In my opinion Thorpe Park's rides are bigger, better, scarier and faster. These points may be the reason that Alton will struggle.

In terms of ride length and time, Thorpe Parks rides actually last similar lengths to those at Alton Towers. a few of them being shorter than their most comparable rides at Alton Towers, such as Stealth in comparison to Rita, and the Smiler compared with either Saw or Colossus. Not only this, but Alton Towers, more often than not, tend to have better operations and all round shorter queue times because of it. However the opinion on rides is all down to the individual, so if Thorpe Park has your favourite rides that's obviously where you're going to go.

[ROYJESS]

Compared to Thorpe Park or even Blackpool, most of the rides at Alton Towers are too short and don't last very long, Alton is ruined by the local council's strict height restriction of nothing above tree level. For a lot of people, queuing for hours for a 1 to 2 minute ride isn't worth it. In my opinion Thorpe Park's rides are bigger, better, scarier and faster. These points may be the reason that Alton will struggle.

Not this age old argument again!

Seriously I'm team Alton Towers (and if I wasn't I sure wouldn't be criticising the Theme Park on an Alton Towers orientated forum)

If you like chaff city as oppose to beautiful countryside, then that is your prerogative. Stealth is the only ride that is faster than that at Alton towers and even that ride is very short.

I tend to find the queues are usually longer at Thorpe park what ever time of the season I visit. The rides there tend to make me sick as oppose to be thrilling. I'm a regular visitor to Alton Towers, and even on the busiest of days, it is possible to beat all the queues if you know which order to the rides in.

The height building restrictions at Alton Towers has given us a unique experiences with both Nemesis and Oblivion being build down into the ground. Nemesis is ranked as one of the top rollercoasters in the world. You can't beat the jaw dropping drop on Oblivion.

Yes I do love Blackpool for different reasons, and they have great unique rides there, some of which are very old.

But if Thorpe Park floats your boat, then that is OK by me, it just means one person less at Alton Towers which will reduce my queue waiting times

[mark]

I was making a general point,I am not anti Alton,I have Been to Alton many times,I agree that the setting is stunning.I have been on all the rides over the years.I miss Thunder Looper,The Beast,The Alton Mouse,The Bobs and The Corksrew.All great rides.

[MakoMania]

Does anyone know the procedure at Alton for storms? I was on park today, hammering it down (hurt on Rita :lol ) and there was loud thunder and you could see the lightning in the sky, but the rides were still open! Seems a bit of a close call to me compared to procedure I've seen at other parks. Anybody have any more info?

[Senator]

I was on park as well today - I have no idea about the procedures; except I saw nothing was running - no trains, no nothing

[MakoMania]

I was on park as well today - I have no idea about the procedures; except I saw nothing was running - no trains, no nothing

?

[Luce]

As I understand it, nothing outdoors operates in the event of a thunderstorm - I've been in queues for rides at AT before when storms have occurred and always they've stopped until the weather's improved

[MakoMania]

As I understand it, nothing outdoors operates in the event of a thunderstorm - I've been in queues for rides at AT before when storms have occurred and always they've stopped until the weather's improved

I was in Dark Forest at the time, Rita was running round its track and there was a huge bolt of lightning in the sky! The ride stopped operation after this of course but it just seemed a bit too close for comfort.

[Liam.W]

here is a cool 360 degree video of the Congo River Rapids!

[Justin]

I think 360 degree videos and photos are going to really take off this year!

I took a couple of photos on my last visit of X-Sector, Galactica and my room at Alton Towers Hotel. Facebook is also supporting the upload of these images and videos too!

[Liam.W]

I think 360 degree videos and photos are going to really take off this year!

Good job I won a Galactica Cardboard VR headset then! :P

[Justin]

I saw that. Congratulations, I won nothing on that!

I have got a Samsung VR headset (like those used on Galactica) and love it! Especially when you can take awesome Towers photos on Google Cardboard Camera!

[Liam.W]

Galactica Cardboard Virtual Reality Glasses Review

So after winning a competition on Alton Tower's Facebook page a few weeks ago, today it finally arrived after a mix up of addresses :lol

Here is the packaging for the Virtual Glasses:


The parts included are;
1x Glasses Lens
1x Divider
1x Strap
1x Cardboard headset
2x Magnets

Assembly was relatively easy, although I struggled to do this on my own and I think 2 people would be able to do it easier as you need someone to hold things while the other person does other things such as removing the sticker backings and securing it together.

Here are a look at the instructions:



Stages A-1 and A-2 came already assembled.

This is what the finished product looks like:





Overall, I think this is a very good idea, although the cardboard starts to hurt your nose pretty quickly, especially with a phone inside!
If ever anyone else gets their hands on this, or any other VR device, I recommend the 'Cedar Point VR' app. You get to ride Valravn from your home!

[ThemeCrafter264]

Do you have to use your phone? Also so annoyed I never won ANYTHING yet I entered so many times