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Welcome to Theme Park Review! Photos & Videos of Theme Parks, Roller Coasters, and FUN!
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 TPR Member Photo Trip Reports |
June 2018 by JordyC |
September 2016 Report by HenryM |
September 2015 by StealthFan |
November 11th, 2014 by rctneil |
Apr 26 2014 by The Horned King |
October 23rd, 2011 by Divv3k |
June, 2010 by printersdevil78 |
April, 2008 by Divv3k |
October, 2007 by Hhappy |
June 12th, 2006 by OldJJMan |
June 12th, 2006 by DerekRx |
April 13th, 2006 by Patty |
March 14th, 2006 by Gsus |
October 15th, 2005 by Ork1927 |
July 5th, 2005 by Jak |
August 1995 by Rooey |
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| Attractions |
| Nemesis (B&M Invert) is considered by many to be the best and most intense coaster of its kind. After years of arguing with locals, the park has finally built a wooden coaster with GCI's Wicker Man. Alton tends to build many prototypes and newer, unproven models such as Oblivion (1st dive coaster), Galactica (1st B&M flying coaster) Rita (one of Intamin's earlier hydraulic-launch coasters) and Smiler (most inversions). Other major coasters include Th13teen (overhyped as the most frightening coaster) and Spinball Whizzer (a fun spinner from Mauer Sohne). But the thrills don't end with coasters. Hex is a wonderfully themed Mad House with an entertaining pre-show, while Duel is a good shooting dark ride. In the water ride department you can try Congo River Rapids or Battle Galleons (Splash Battle). Alton Towers Gardens is an expansive and beautiful garden that can take hours to fully explore. |
| Food |
| Fast-food franchisees in the park include Burger King (multiple locations) and KFC. Other food options in the park include hot dogs, an Asain restaurant (Eastern Express), fish and chips, sandwiches/paninis, Mexican, BBQ, pizza, and pasta. |
| Operating Season |
| The park is open from late April to early December. The park is also open for 7-10 days in February in recognition of Britain's "Short Term" (similar to Spring Break in the US). |
| Established Seasonal events |
| Scarefest runs for a couple of weeks leading up to Halloween. |
| Access & Location |
| The following link could help you get to Alton Towers via public transit. http://www.altontowers.com/plan-your-visit/how-to-find-us/public-transport/
Bus service is available from the Leek, Stoke-on-Trent, or Uttuxeter rail stations to the park. |
| Nearby Lodging |
| The co-joined Alton Towers Hotel and Splash Landing Hotel offer early entry and ERT on six attractions for one hour before the general public. Both hotels are well themed and provide free parking. There is also a CBeebies Land Hotel for young families or the options to stay at the Enchanted Village Treehouses or the Woodland Lodges for a different type of lodging experience |
| Virtual Queue Options |
| Information on the park's "Fastrack" system can be found at http://www.altontowers.com/plan-your-visit/fast-track/ There are multiple options.
Depending on crowd size, single rider lines exist for Air, Nemesis, Rita: Queen of Speed, Spinball Whizzer, and Oblivion. |
| Shows |
| The park doesn't offer a lot in this area, but there is a children's musical show (Wonderful World of Cloud Cuckoo Land) and a lighthearted pirate-themed stunt show (The Pirate of Sharkbait Reef). |
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| TPR Notes |
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| Set in the grounds of the historic mansion that gives the park its name, Alton Towers is a very well presented park with a wide range of attractions from top-ten steel coasters to frog hoppers to a very elaborate garden at the edge of the park. Alton Towers works within the confines of very strict height requirements on their rides but still provides thrills. The owners continually reinvest in the park, including the 2009 addition of a Sea Life centre and the renovation of their children's area. The park is well placed as one of the UK's best family days out. | |
| Member Reviews |
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| Results 1-13 of 13 for Alton Towers
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(Log in to post / edit your review)
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Probably better than most US parks.
| | 11-03-2016 | |
TLARides
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Of course, Cedar Fair is one of the best theme park companies I know. Merlin Entertainments would run right beside them. Alton Towers is one of the best parks I've seen. With interesting rides as well. Smiler is probably the best ride there. Despite the crash. Theming seems to be very important to the park, which shows a high interest in keeping the park clean and good looking. It has better theming than Cedar Point in some ways. While Cedar Fair focuses more on rides, Merlin Entertainments seems to focus on looks AND rides. I can't wait to see what SW8 brings to the park. Could be better than the Smiler. But probably not.
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It is a strange park in a good way
| | 06-06-2016 | |
Jeremy Nelson
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I went with my school in 2011 and I hated it, I queued too much and I only went on 4 rides in 8 hours! But then I decided to give it another chance in 2013 partially because of the Smiler. I went with my 'Gangster' friend and we both found that we rather enjoyed the park. Then I went for Scarefest in 2015 with another friend. We all had a fantastic time! Good food, good rides and its is quite tranquil! So this park will impress you given the chance and the extreme rides are a very good selection.
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| | 10-31-2014 | |
Jeroen669
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Probably one of the best, if not the best, theme park in the UK. Air and smiler are really one-of-a-kind coasters and also oblivion, although it is just one drop, is just amazing and very exciting. Nemesis Be aware of long walking distances within the park, also from the parking lots to the park entrance. There runs a train between them, but long queues make it faster to walk.
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THE BEST PARK IN THE UK
| | 08-24-2014 | |
coasterfan999
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The parks rollercoasters are really great especially The Smiler and Nemesis. Also the castle in the middle is a great setting for a theme park and the hotels are pretty cool.
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Great but in need of an update
| | 03-28-2012 | |
harryfo
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I really enjoyed alton towers this year (2012) but not all of the rollercoasters really give you a great payoff from the queue up. Oblivion is still a jumped up drop ride...It's great but it is just a drop, Rita is good but for a launched rollercoaster it doesn't have either substantial speed or height and is a short ride. Thirteen is just the gimmick of the 'surprise' which is great but the rest of it I dull. I cannot fault either Air or Nemesis and love them both but really don't think Alton towers has really stepped it up in a long time as 13 was such a disappointment, the new coaster in 2013 should bring it up to scratch!
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Alton Towers Review
| | 03-20-2012 | |
DJ Bazza D
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My personal favourite theme park in the UK, Alton towers offers great rides and food. My favourite ride being Oblivion I've been quite a few times. Alton towers always trys bring in new rides/coasters every year making customers go back at least once every year, which is good for the park. I hope to see great thing in the future as I know they have plans to build yet another coaster for 2013/2014 which I looking forward to...
My only problem is there alot of walking and as I'm big boned it can make you quite tried ;) But overall 100% UK's best park
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Fantastic Park!
| | 11-23-2011 | |
Swimace
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Alton Towers is really a great all around park! The attractions here have nice theming and attention to detail, and there is a wide variety of things to do. Air and Thirteen were really fun coasters that were still tame enough to be enjoyed by pretty much anybody. Oblivion and Rita were a little bit more intense, and then obviously Nemesis takes the title as one of the best coasters ever built. Aside from that they have some really cool unique attractions (i.e. Hex), and there's an actual castle in the middle of the park! A must-visit for any theme park fan!
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Best in the UK!
| | 08-21-2011 | |
Nozzy
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Alton Towers is by far the best theme park in the UK. The sprawling grounds are simply beautiful, and despite not being able to see any coasters from the entrance the park delivers thrills in spades. Nemesis is amazing both to watch and ride, while Oblivion's intense theming makes a simple vertical drop something truly special. The rest of the coasters are all a pleasure to ride as well. There is a massive gardens area I did not have time to explore, but looked amazing. Food is pretty standard, and operations were alright. The park atmosphere is great though, complete with a castle on a lake, forests, and many quiet locations. Be prepared for tons of walking, and it can be a bit tricky to navigate. A must for any UK coaster trip.
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A winner!!
| | 04-13-2011 | |
Team Thriller
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From intense coasters to beautiful gardens, Alton Towers totally had me giggling like a school girl. Nemesis kicked butt, totally worth the trip. Air was LOADS of fun. Oblivion was short but the drop was nearly as thrilling as Griffons. Th13teen was a great family coaster, as was Sonic Spinball. Rita was a little painful, but the launch was intense. The gardens are GORGEOUS. I think this park is more beautiful than Busch Gardens Williamsburg. The thing that I loved the most about this park is the single rider lines, it comes in SOO much handy during a busy day. The only downside that I can think of is they only have a few thrilling flat rides. A lot of people complain about the walking, but I think it adds to the atmosphere. :)
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| | 03-24-2011 | |
mwm1444
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Open, green, lots of water and plantlife, a picturesque stately home...it has rides too? The 'coaster selection, though perhaps (with the notable exception of Nemesis) mostly pulled from B&M's bottom drawer, is satisfying, with even minor pariah Th13teen remaining (to myself) an enjoyable experience. Otherwise, the park's sadly led with a lack of imagination, in terms of themed attractions, although Hex and Duel still stand out. With fresh attention given to theme and thrills, this could be a 5.
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One of my favorite parks in the world.
| | 03-03-2011 | |
coaster freak 11
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Alton Towers is amazing, they way they keep the old style and history but still add great rides. They have in depth theming, as well as full stories to their rides and even some wacky things to do (the bathtub rubber duck rides comes to mind). And because of the building height restriction, they have gotten very creative with adding some amazing attractions to the park, such ass Nemesis, which is built into trenches!
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My favorite theme park in England!
| | 02-26-2011 | |
JimmyBo
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This is probably one of the most beautiful theme parks I have visited. I mean, how can you go wrong with building a theme park around a historic castle and the trees and gardens dominate the park? This is a huge park so definitely bring comfortable walking shoes. Alton Towers also offers some of the best world class coasters on the planet. On top of that, their other attractions are quite entertaining as well. This is an all around amazing theme park and I highly recommend it to anyone!
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The Best Park In The UK!
| | 02-24-2011 | |
robinschroder
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Alton Towers is, in my opinion, the best theme park in the UK. There's just such a unique feeling of magic in the air as you walk around. The unusual geography of the park really adds to the atmosphere and, whilst it has made planning applications tricky for the park, it has also been a blessing. Nemesis (arguably the best rollercoaster in the UK - as it has been since it opened in 1994) would never have been staged deep down in a quarry, Oblivion may never have been set mostly underground... The hotels are also very well themed, and their water park is tremendous fun! Alton Towers is a 'must-do' park for anyone visiting the UK!
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| Pros |
- Amazing location with a real castle
- One of the greatest steel coasters on the planet, Nemesis
- Onsite hotel options are great
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| Cons |
- Lots of walking
- Onsite hotel doesn't always get you to the park first due to weird hours for hotel entrance
- After the park closes, not much to do as minigolf and resort waterpark all close at park time
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| Admission Policy |
Pay One Price
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| Recent TPR Updates |
No Infomation.
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