Alton Towers Discussion Thread

[tiger01Jar-Jar Binks smells like Donkey]

I think its a great new addition to the park and another great family ride to go along with the newly rethemed sonic spinball and that kiddy dragon thing because all the other rides are massive (which isn't a criticism cause they look awesome) but i think that th13teen is a great new rollercoaster for 2010!!!

[usirocksit1I Guess Donkeys Are Okay]

5x^ "I drink your milkshake! I drink it up!"!!!!!

Kidding.. peace be with you ..

[robbalveySite Admin]

Isn't that the whole point of a prototype? You're not gonna have an extreme coaster that does incredible elements and intense transitions the first time around unless that's your goal.

Rides like Colossos, X2 and Xcelerator all prove that you CAN have a prototype that is also extreme. And really, Alton Towers' own Oblivion kind of proves that to. But you're right, if that's not your goal, that's not your goal. But there are plenty of examples out there where the prototype absolutely DID deliver on high thrills and "wow factor."

On top of that, I'm pretty sure Alton can't build massive I305-sized projects due to height restrictions so they use prototype coasters like Oblivion, Air, and Thirteen to draw crowds in.

And arguably, Oblivion and Air are the lowest ranked in their class by roller coaster enthusiasts. However, having said that, they do draw HUGE crowds and are favorites at the park.

Not trying to say you're right or wrong with your statements, just wanting to make sure you're looking at this from both sides of the coin.

--Robb

[snorkymnThe only thing better than a naked woman is a naked donkey!]

I guess in 13 weeks I'll be riding 13 and finding out for myself. From the video, It doesn't "WOW" me, as some others have also mentioned above, but looks like it could still be fun anyway. Especially for a family type coaster. So I'll wait to form a real opinion until after I've been on it a time or two.

How many riders can they really get through the ride in an hour with an element like that?

[CreditCrazyI have severe vegetarian]

So it's Expedition Everest without all the theming. I'm sure it will do AWESOME for families, and people will absolutely love it (it does look like a lot of fun!), but for a hard core roller coaster enthusiast looking for big thrills? I have a feeling they will be disappointed.

That's the thing that frustrates me about this ride. It looks like a ton of fun, a great ride for families, yet it has this horror theme, and then it's going to have a medical expert at the end of the ride...? It just has the wrong theme for what the ride is.

[KoolkidHave I mentioned how awesome donkeys are?]

^^ 1200

Same as Corkscrew's

[robbalveySite Admin]

That's the thing that frustrates me about this ride. It looks like a ton of fun, a great ride for families, yet it has this horror theme, and then it's going to have a medical expert at the end of the ride...? It just has the wrong theme for what the ride is.

Agreed.

[netdvnWhy do I still have a donkey title???]

Rides like Colossos, X2 and Xcelerator all prove that you CAN have a prototype that is also extreme. And really, Alton Towers' own Oblivion kind of proves that to. But you're right, if that's not your goal, that's not your goal. But there are plenty of examples out there where the prototype absolutely DID deliver on high thrills and "wow factor."

I totally understand, but that was where the "it's not their goal" part comes in, which you covered. Rides like Blue Fire and X were built to deliver extreme thrills through steep drops, plenty of inversions, etc. But my main point is that Thirteen isn't going for that. It seems to be going for a more psychological thrill.

That's the thing that frustrates me about this ride. It looks like a ton of fun, a great ride for families, yet it has this horror theme, and then it's going to have a medical expert at the end of the ride...? It just has the wrong theme for what the ride is.

To be honest, I see the "medical expert" thing as part of a publicity stunt to make the ride seem much more intimidating than it really is. The horror theme is meant to draw in thrillseekers/adrenaline junkies that would normally brush off a ride like this as "boring". It seems to be built for families with older children than a traditional family coaster, which the "new" Sonic-rethemed coaster is trying to draw.

[JugglerBeware of the Magic Donkey at Lotte World!]

I haven't bothered with the place for at least three years now and I can't see anything in the video, hype or assorted material that changes my opinion of the place.

As for Cedar Fair I've been to plenty of their parks but the difference is that they don't set themselves up as anything other than a park full of rides and if there's space we'll cram another one in. If you know that before hand then there's no disappointment.

Awful Towers has the most amazing backdrop of any park in the World what with the fabulous Gardens and the House but they always come up short when it comes to really looking at the customer experience. Just take a look at the effort that goes into new rides and areas at places such as Phantasialand, De Efteling and Europa Park for instance. Awful Towers seem to think they can just role out a ride, hype it beyond belief and then throw a few bits of plastic at it to make it look nice. They have some good rides there and one fantastic one (Nemesis) but there's no real direction and no feel to the park. Nemesis is a perfect example of how to create, pace and theme a ride. It looks great, it has a feel to it as you walk amongst it through the queue and the river of blood rolls down the hill. All of this adds to the experience but since then I can't recall another ride that has truly grasped that concept. Hex is probably the only other ride built since that makes an effort.

I want to be excited not just by the ride but by the whole experience. I want designers to not just think about creating the next gimmick but to really look at the whole experience. Don't leave dead space in a queue line, don't think that just because you've got the World's first B&M Flying coaster you can have a bare concrete tunnel with water on the floor as you exit the platform. Start thinking about what goes on near and around the rides, they've got the space so use it and make it work for them.

Awful Towers have spent too long looking for their next gimmick instead of looking at what they already have and investing in making the park what it should be. They could spend a fraction of what it costs for the next big thing on more family orientated rides, some out of the box coasters and then theme the hell out of them so that although they're standard they look the part. Get the customers more spread out and get more rides in to ease the pressure on the main attractions.

All of this is only my opinion and it's not just the new ride that's caused such comments. I've said this very same thing for years (Since 2000 when I went across to Europe and saw the difference) and Awful Towers aren't the only culprits. For some reason we still seem to have the seaside resort mentality in the industry over here and we really do need to wake up and smell the coffee so to speak.

[robbalveySite Admin]

Awful Towers have spent too long looking for their next gimmick

I would generally agree with this.

I really do love Alton Towers, but it frustrates me that a park that offers so many different types of attractions with so much great potential only has one ride that I really think is "outstanding" and that ride was built in 1994.

The majority of the rides at Alton Towers I find to be "very good" but not "outstanding."

Air, Oblivion, Rita, Spinball, Hex, Duel, Ripsaw, Charlie, etc, are rides I really like, but they are all "ride once per visit" attractions for me. Nemesis is the only ride there that I really want more of.

On our 2006 trip we actually left the park for a couple of hours to visit Splash Landings...and had an EXCELLENT time there!

--Robb