Attraction Source Forum

I think the ridership levels will return too with a faster throughput, I have avoided this ride to an extent since the 2016 launch to 2018 because it’s not worth waiting in such a slow queue.

The removal of the VR has now been confirmed on Twitter:

Alton Towers Resort wrote:Based on our guest feedback, we decided to remove this aspect of the ride to make the experience more enjoyable.

Imagine if all that money had been spent on a better tunnel and new theming features instead!

Even though it is sad news the VR is being removed, this is honestly for the best in terms of operations. I love the theming and hope that it is kept along with the soundtrack.

I'll very much enjoy getting back on the ride now that the VR won't be a problem.

Makes me wonder why they've been running a train with VR equipment boxes on still for then?

Swarm Chris wrote:Makes me wonder why they've been running a train with VR equipment boxes on still for then?

Maybe they haven’t got round to fully removing the VR hardware from all of the crafts yet?

I for one am glad to see the VR removed from the ride. Ever since its introduction, operations on the coaster have been dire, and it’s something that they never seemed to get right, no matter what they tried.

If the VR was reliable, people may have been a bit more forgiving, but more often than not there was an issue with the headset, such as audio not working or the video being out of sync just to name a few. There were just too many flaws to make it worthwhile queuing for, which is something I rarely did last season, and when I did queue for the ride, I didn’t use the VR once last season.

I know Air in its original form was never a throughput machine, but it was a million times better than Galactica’s with the VR, so this is a positive move in my opinion.

Ultimately I think removing the VR is the right decision.

It was a nice concept, but unfortunately it just didn't work in the long run and operationally the ride suffered for it with it having far longer queues that it actually should. What we have gained however is a great theming feature in the form of the portal which I can't see the Resort removing any time soon so I think the backstory of journeying through a wormhole will just about still hold.

One thing that I'm hoping will be different now the VR has been removed is the atmosphere down that bottom end of Forbidden Valley. The addition of the VR headsets meant that there was hardly any sound coming from riders on the trains as they went around the track, meaning the area had a kind of eerie silence as a result of the almost total abscence of riders' screams. Hopefully the removal of the VR means that atmosphere will return.

Absolutely Lakey, I'm looking forward to the return of some atmosphere in that area now people can see what they're doing rather than being a little confused by the lack of video or (like me) eyes screwed shut hoping to not be ill :lol

I anticipate that the majority of people will welcome the change and that the throughput hopefully will increase again with the VR removal.

At risk of repating myself, I think this is the right move, I dont mind the themeing at all, but I had no love for VR. I tried but it didnt stay on my face..

I actually really liked the VR, when it worked. Though the headset was a little heavy and cumbersome. 

I won't miss the absolutely awful throughput though so this is a vast improvement for the ride itself. I would expect to see some updates when the park opens for the season as they'll have to swap out some of the ride signage and videos that reference the VR headsets. 

I really hope they remove all of the old signage, especially the marketing images in the monorail station. The ride staff will probably be fielding enough "where's the VR?" questions as it is. :lol

I wonder if they'll increase any audio usage in the ride area, to give a greater Galactica feel?

Hopefully, the references to VR will be fully removed and the theme enhanced to fit it with the Galactica theme. No doubt we will see the removal of EVE too.

I would not be surprised if there are still graphics around the park, for example in the monorail station and burger kitchen, that still have headsets on riders. I don't think we've seen any new graphics without headsets yet have we?
The official website still mentions VR and uses the original graphics https://www.altontowers.com/theme-park/galactica/

Poor EVE..

I am grateful for the Galactica re theme purely because it rejuvenated the ride. I liked the original concept but it felt a little bland and outdated. The new station is great and I think the ride itself will be successful without VR. What I'd love now is a track repaint because I think a dark blue track would be very striking, especially when it is new and clean. Can't help thinking about how much they could have done with the ride if the money hadn't been spent on the VR though. We could have had a well themed tunnel, full track repaint and large theming features for the money but never mind. They latched onto a trend but unfortunately it didn't work out. I tried VR once and decided it wasn't for me. it was shaky and blurry and just not a good experience. I really hope they work on operations this year and get everyone through really fast to improve guest experience because if they don't (or hadn't removed VR) I could see the ride seriously losing popularity due to its fairly low thrill factor.

As posted on TowersTimes social media, Alton Towers have updated Galactica's page on their website with a new visual (although it looks to be made from components of the original one) and an updated 'backstory:

Blast through an advanced launch portal to a dimension beyond your imagination. Soar, spiral and glide in our iconic flying rollercoaster on an exhilarating expedition that frees you from the bounds of your earth forces.

The year is 3019. Deep in Forbidden Valley, a pocket of cosmic energy known as a wormhole was discovered.  After extensive testing, it was proven that this wormhole could be harnessed for travel to other dimensions. The aerospace operating group, Galactica, utilised this worm hole to develop pioneering launch portal technology to take crafts of civilians further than they have ever imagined.

Board the AIR-WING 6000 craft, assume the position and commence the launch sequence. Build up enough momentum to blast through the plasma of the launch portal and enter new realms of galaxies. Soar over the Earth, spiral between the rugged vistas of Vega 10 and glide through the cosmic clouds of Espin on a sensational journey.

Rode it today and the queue moved pretty quick!

That’s good. I never liked the VR, so this is a good improvement. I wish they would change it back to Air, because I liked Air’s branding better.

Air was the first coaster I properly fell in love with although controversial I do prefer the Galactica branding. I just hope they put a few more pieces of theming around the ride area and paint the tunnel.

The idea behind the theme of Air was great, and I loved it, but it was a quite 90’s look so I think it did need updating. I just wished they had spent the VR money on theming instead, the underground car park theme isn’t to everyone’s taste...