The Future of Sonic Spinball

[BenBowser]

Erm, they can't actually majorly develop that area where haunted hollow is, they can't remove the trees so I expect they can't move spinball there.

Personally, I just want merlin to ditch it (or move it to a non uk park), and on its current site, build and Atlantis area with an amazing dark ride. Something which alton lacks. The area would be for families, and have family friendly flats. Of course all the replacement rides would need a capacity of above 1400 people due to their location.

[Senator]

Sorry if it has been said, but personally I think Sonic Spinball would be amazing in the Dark Forest. Though this area already has 2 roller coasters I believe that this coaster can make this area even better The ride could be themed as branches (this would mean the trains might need to be changed) and the evil things (don't know the name) have set a curse to the area for uncovering the historic area, in which the branches try to attack you.. Silly I know but I think it would do really well..

[Burniel]

Sorry if it has been said, but personally I think Sonic Spinball would be amazing in the Dark Forest. Though this area already has 2 roller coasters I believe that this coaster can make this area even better The ride could be themed as branches (this would mean the trains might need to be changed) and the evil things (don't know the name) have set a curse to the area for uncovering the historic area, in which the branches try to attack you.. Silly I know but I think it would do really well..

Replacement for Rita tbh

[Altontowersbarlow]

I honestly like Sonic Spinball where it is but I would prefer for AT to use it as solo attraction rather than try and include it into a non existent adventure land

[stealthsmiler]

I personally love Sonic. Its great for families and Alton needs a spinning coaster. I think it should be re-themed and have an amazing story behind it. Keep it where it is and re-theme Adventure land to match the coaster. Add a flat like Kobra at Chessington, but only half of it. The whole area should follow the same story rather than each ride have individual stories that go together. An ancient Egyptian theme would be cool. Sonic could be a curse from an Egyptian mummy which has started some sort of sand storm. There could also be a large pyramid which has food and drink in it and contains a ride like Duel (then change Duel into something a bit more grown up and scary). The ride inside the pyramid should be based on uncovering the mummy that has put the curse on Sonic. The flat wouldn't really have a story but could just be made to fit in.

This would give an opportunity to give the area some great theming with ancient temples, hieroglyphics, fire etc. It would be more of a family area rather than young children or thrill, like Katanga Canyon.


Failing that I also really like the idea of moving it to Mutiny Bay on The flumes site or in Katanga Canyon.

Where ever its put, it deserves to be super themed up as it never really has been.

[roary01]

As much as I love sonic I can see it coming to its final season soon for numerous reasons...

Throughput - For a park the size of Towers it is abysmal and with a slight bit of rain it gets even worse which in Britain makes this happen often.

Maintenance - It was only installed as a cheap 'filler' ride back in 2004 so 10 years down the line I think it's served the park well. However over the last season I noticed it to have numerous stops and downtime and the cost of its maintenance is probably rising too.

Location - In Adventure Land it has been noted this are could be a Cbeebies expansion in future, and also management don't like its location as its so near the entrance and it also is said it obstructs the clear & uninterrupted view of the towers and lawns. It has been mentioned a possibility of moving to another area of the park, but the cost to take it down, refurbish it and put it back in a new location would probably outweigh putting in another ride in the long run.

So as much as I'd like to see it stay for some time longer I don't think it has a place in the ever expanding park where they expect more guests year on year, so we should enjoy it while its here.

[bensaund]

People asking for Spinball to be moved to other areas of the park or re-themed, I seriously can't see it happening. If there was going to be any such major re-theme it would be been done with the CBEEBIES land. We all know it is on the MTDP that the ride will go.

From a park's point of view, I don't know how much it would cost to move the ride, but the with planning permission, finding  a suitable site, getting that site prepared, ensuring enough power to run it and building queue lines, that isn't cheap.

Then the task of dismantling the ride, moving it elsewhere, then the safety checks and ensuring the ride works well.

I read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Fis ... r_coaster), it cost a million to move the Flying Fish at Thorpe. Spinball is 5 times the size and has much more track and height to deal with.

The end result for guests who visit will be "Oh they have moved Spinball" but it will not attract any additional guests or generate any additional revenue. So they have two options really:

1) Keep it where it is until it is time to go
2) Remove it from the park

Yes it is an ok ride, but if you are going to spend £2-3 million to move a ride, you might as well get a new flat or invest that in something new. I don't think the majority of guests will miss the ride as long as they have another family ride to replace it.

This is my view, but I am thinking from a park operations perspective. No point in spending large volumes of money on something if you are not going to get your return on investment.

As for replacing RITA, I don't think that is going anywhere in the near future (But I do think it will be the first to go), unless the running costs get too much or there are operational issues. It isn't 10 years old yet and I would expect them to get a good 20 years out of such ride. Old Corky lasted 28 years, Nemmy has just clocked 20 and still has plenty of life left in it.

[Burniel]

Ok, I understand and respect the points above ...

If Spinball can't be moved (and by the sounds of things it wouldn't be worth it), then I can see 6 options for it.

1. Contract ends and we sadly see it moved to another park
2. Contract ends and Alton just take off the sonic stickers and re-theme it back to spinball whizzer (no thank you)
3. Contract is renewed in 2016, but that would only delay the inevitable
4. Contract ends and the ride becomes a part of a Cbeebies Land expansion
5. Contract ends and a secret weapon is built in Adventure Land
6. Contract ends and a family secret weapon is built in a Cbeebies Land expansion. (least likely)

[BenBowser]

People asking for Spinball to be moved to other areas of the park or re-themed, I seriously can't see it happening. If there was going to be any such major re-theme it would be been done with the CBEEBIES land. We all know it is on the MTDP that the ride will go.

From a park's point of view, I don't know how much it would cost to move the ride, but the with planning permission, finding  a suitable site, getting that site prepared, ensuring enough power to run it and building queue lines, that isn't cheap.

Then the task of dismantling the ride, moving it elsewhere, then the safety checks and ensuring the ride works well.

I read http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Fis ... r_coaster), it cost a million to move the Flying Fish at Thorpe. Spinball is 5 times the size and has much more track and height to deal with.

The end result for guests who visit will be "Oh they have moved Spinball" but it will not attract any additional guests or generate any additional revenue. So they have two options really:

1) Keep it where it is until it is time to go
2) Remove it from the park

Yes it is an ok ride, but if you are going to spend £2-3 million to move a ride, you might as well get a new flat or invest that in something new. I don't think the majority of guests will miss the ride as long as they have another family ride to replace it.

I don't think moving a coaster can be too much money or hassle. Look at traveling fairs, granted their rides are much smaller (and built by Pinfari) but towers make much more money. If they moved it to say, coaster corner, and put it inside. They could easily advertise it as a new attraction, and not many people would know.

As for the cost of the Flying Fish, I think they did some landfill of the land where its current site is. They also gave it new trains.

[bensaund]

There are two types of rides.  Those designed to be moved snd permanent ones.

Rides like Ripsaw, The Blade, Corkscrew,  Beast are all designed to be moved.  But Spinball looks too permanent to me and the foundations don't look like an easy job due to the number of supports it has. Correct me if I am wrong.

[Burniel]

There are two types of rides.  Those designed to be moved snd permanent ones.

Rides like Ripsaw, The Blade, Corkscrew,  Beast are all designed to be moved.  But Spinball looks too permanent to me and the foundations don't look like an easy job due to the number of supports it has. Correct me if I am wrong.

No you are absolutely right I couldn't agree more

[BenBowser]

^ But Towers do have about eight times more money than fairs and about 30 times more people construct attractions. Whilst it is permanent, it doesn't appear to be as hard to move as say Oblivion. Its track is surprisingly light (see MS website) and the station isn't exactly the most complex building ever. Moreover, the ride has literally no landscaping.

[bensaund]

But it comes down to cost. If you were in charge and you had 2 million to invest.  Would you:
1) blow it all on moving a ride which currently works and will bring in no additional revenue
2) invest on a new ride or area retheme which will attract more guests and make you more money.

I know what I would do

[BenBowser]

^Ah, but the site spinball is currently on could be very useful. If I was to invest in say a Dark Ride, the only available sites would be Adventure Land and the Flume site. Now, when I'm running this park, I want the site closest to the entrance. So, say I have a budget of around £9 million. I spend £2 million moving spinball and create a much higher capacity dark ride on its site with the £7 million left. I then slap spinball in a warehouse on coaster corner, add some UV theming and lights, market the ride as new and bam, two new major attractions.

[DeanGaryCox]

Just a random thought, considering they have the rights to cebeebies, could they replace adventure land with a mini cbbc land, and theme sonic spinball to a popular/relavent tv programme (as cebeebies would be too young of a market for a ride like sonic spinball), as well as add a new family thrilling flat... would tie the area up quite nicely and create the link between cebeebies and cbbc?

[Burniel]

Just a random thought, considering they have the rights to cebeebies, could they replace adventure land with a mini cbbc land, and theme sonic spinball to a popular/relavent tv programme (as cebeebies would be too young of a market for a ride like sonic spinball), as well as add a new family thrilling flat... would tie the area up quite nicely and create the link between cebeebies and cbbc?

Sounds good but I can't see any CBBC shows fitting in with Spinball

[stealthsmiler]

Tbh, although I really do like the idea in my previous comment, I think a small investment into some real adventure theming would be good. I'd kinda like to see sonic have a temple style station, with (fake) rock archways and tunnels and stuff, then plant some bushy plants planted around the base, and give it a lost temple look. The trains could either be A) replaced to look like boulders ( expensive option) or stickered up so they fit in and aren't shiny silver (cheap option). The rest of the area could then have a similar feel. The ride could be renamed to something with sonic still in it until the contact ends ( so it's like sonic has gone on the adventure, just to keep sega happy, even get a small video of sonic in an adventure clip to reinforce the reason why sonic is kinda relevant in the theme. Then when the contract runs out, the remove the videos and remove sonic from the name and it just continues to sit happily there. I don't see why AT should get rid of sonic, it is very popular and yes I know it has slow through out, but if guests are willing to queue it, then really it's doing us a favour as it's less people in the queue for the main coasters.

Or if it was given a futuristic scifi theme the sonic could be realated to speed or sound and keep a few pics of sonic here and there.

The final idea is AT get a decent contract with Sega and get some good sonic theming. Like whizzing through giant rings and have those monster things on the floor.

[Katherine]

As much as I love sonic I can see it coming to its final season soon for numerous reasons...

Throughput - For a park the size of Towers it is abysmal and with a slight bit of rain it gets even worse which in Britain makes this happen often.

Maintenance - It was only installed as a cheap 'filler' ride back in 2004 so 10 years down the line I think it's served the park well. However over the last season I noticed it to have numerous stops and downtime and the cost of its maintenance is probably rising too.

Location - In Adventure Land it has been noted this are could be a Cbeebies expansion in future, and also management don't like its location as its so near the entrance and it also is said it obstructs the clear & uninterrupted view of the towers and lawns. It has been mentioned a possibility of moving to another area of the park, but the cost to take it down, refurbish it and put it back in a new location would probably outweigh putting in another ride in the long run.

So as much as I'd like to see it stay for some time longer I don't think it has a place in the ever expanding park where they expect more guests year on year, so we should enjoy it while its here.

I have to second this post... it seems like it's throughput is a lot lower than many of the other rides as they're a lot higher, and again with the location, it could potentially be gone due to expansion of Cbeebies Land, it could be moved or it could be removed, who knows.

[DeanGaryCox]

Sonic is such a fun ride though... i'd be gutted if they got rid of it - as much as i love scary thrilling rides, Sonic and TH13TEEN (besides Nemesis which is just the best ride ever, full stop.) are probably my two favourite rides as they're so enjoyable!

[2pints]

The cheapest option would be for it to revert to spnball whizzer, or just spinball and keep it until it becomes un economical to repair