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a-pan-in-a-van-blog · 7 years ago

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Post Alton Towers Scarefest 2017 Review

So… it’s almost been a few months since I was Alton Towers’ Scarefest 2017, and I’ve finally taken some time to write my Review of this year’s Scarefest, SW8 Developments and Alton Towers’ changes as a general.

Scarefest:

As per usual, Scarefest is always decorated all the way down Towers Street and this year Alton Towers added the wonderful ‘SCAREFEST’ lettering at the end of the green. And of course, Towers Street is accompanied by the Hallowe’en version of Alton Towers’ theme tune – In The Hall Of The Mountain King and various other Hallowe’en themed songs. The park’s walkway’s audios all get changed for Scarefest. Which is a nice touch. But apart from that there isn’t any significant changes (around the park) that is different to how the park is usually – with exception to the big pumpkins that you can have photos in/with and the fact that the Towers are gorgeously illuminated with blue & green lighting – but this year red & orange lights were added to the advertisement of SW8 (Wicker Man) as the logo was projected onto the Towers too.

The only annoying thing is the big flood lights that light up path ways of a night, yes, they’re nice and the different colours give an eerie or spooky feel to the park (depending on which section of the park you are in), but they’re always noisy with a loud humming noise, unfortunately, there is nothing you can do about it as Alton Towers hired quieter ones this year.

Family Attractions

The Alton Ancestors: It was my first year witnessing one of the Alton Ancestors’ shows, which run for 10 minutes every half hour all throughout the morning till mid-afternoon, when they head over to Gloomy Wood for their last show at 5pm which lasts another 10-15 minutes. They also do ‘Meet & Greets’ throughout the day too.

Entertainment Rating: 7/10

Scare Rating: 3/5

Trick or Treat Stage: An attraction more for the little ones which hosted children’s shows like, “Patch’s Trick or Treat Party”, “Phil & Franklyn’s Ghoul School” and “Skelvin’s Spooky Storytime” as well as other entertainment like character photo opportunities and fancy dress competitions. I didn’t join in, however, from what I could see the shows were pretty decent entertainment!

Entertainment Rating: 6/10

Scare Rating: 2.5/5

House Of Monsters: House Of Monsters was Alton Towers’ first Scare Maze for families and it looked pretty good! Based in Cloud Cuckoo Land, it was a teamwork and challenge based walk-through maze with some jump scares and minimal kiddie-scares, it seemed very well themed and nicely polished off and according to the YouTube Channel - Theme Park Worldwide, it was really enjoyable for anyone and is worth the £5 and Shaun said he could see it being a permanent attraction at Alton Towers for the next few years. I really wanted to do it, but unfortunately, I wasn’t able to in the end due to money and time. By the looks of the popularity of the attraction, I reckon Alton Towers will keep it for a few more years or at least keep changing the interior and story every so often.

Entertainment Rating (Guess): 8/10

Scare Rating: 3.5/5

Thrill Attractions

Rides In The Dark: as per usual, there’s AWAYS rides in the dark! And if you’re going to ride anything in the dark, I’d always recommend Rollercoasters - some more than others. So here’s my list of best to worst Rollercoasters to Ride In The Dark:

1. Thirteen:

Yes, it’s a kiddie-coaster, and no, it’s not the fastest and certainly not the best in the park – but… I love how it winds itself through the forest and how close you get to the woods – it makes me feel close to nature. The darkness gives an element of the spirit of Thirteen and therefore, the ride feels a lot smoother and quicker. Especially, when you are in true darkness, the drop and the reversal feels *just right* to the theme and the story.

2. The Smiler:

Again, not my favourite Rollercoaster, I must admit, but riding The Smiler in the dark (and rain) is a wonderful sensation, especially for people with SPD (Sensory Processing Disorder), The Smiler itself is a very sensory ride as it includes all 5 senses (7 if you include Proprioception & Vestibular) in a very unique way. The track can feel very rickety at times, but once it has rained, the ride feels smoother and therefore, more enjoyable as you can take in more of the visual.

3. Air/Galactica:

I have ALWAYS loved Air, currently known as Galactica, in-fact it’s my favourite ride at Alton Towers; I always look forward to getting on it and it’s always one of the first rides I get one when I go (if not my first ride). But I still, shockingly, haven’t been on it in the dark! However, I placed it at number 3 due to the Portal Theming that they have used for Galactica looks STUNNING in the dark! It’s an absolute beauty! And I can also imagine that flying feels amazing in the dark too!

4. Nemesis:

I can’t even explain how much I have been wanting to ride Nemesis in the dark! But for one reason or another, I’ve not been able to… but from speculation alone, it looks amazing as you’re either in complete darkness or illuminated by blood red lighting and I can’t imagine the adrenaline rush of sitting in the front row! So, I have placed Nemesis in 4th place due to lighting and smoke effects alone.

5. Oblivion:

I’m sorry to say, even though Oblivion is a great ride, riding it in the dark makes no difference to the ride experience… sadly… the only positive I have to say to this is that you get some really nice views of the Towers illuminated at night – which is a really special sight to see. Plus, you spend a majority of the ride in a dark tunnel any…

6. Rita

Again, nothing much happens to the experience of riding Rita in the dark… that might just be a personal thing as I don’t enjoy Rita that much. However, I haven’t rode Rita in a few years, as I didn’t get to ride Rita during my last visit as the ride was closed for most of the 2 days I was there.

Another thing, even though I wouldn’t recommend doing Duel or Hex during the evening – (because there’s literally no point as they’re indoors) but going from the dark outdoors to the dark indoors creates a great and gothic atmosphere about it – especially with Hex! It’s a real-good Halloween treat!

Rides In The Dark: 10/10

Worth Doing? Yes!

Do It Next Time? Always!

Scare Mazes:

As per usual, Alton Towers displayed a wide range of Scare Mazes for Scarefest. And once again – Alton Towers charged for them all… ALL Scare Mazes were £8 EACH. Or you could get 3 Scare Maze tickets for £20 (except for The Welcoming: Be Chosen which had to be bought separately), which is a saving of £4 – (unless you have a Merlin Pass - then you’d save another 20% off the total price) if you were to pay for them separately. However, if you got the 3 Scare Maze Ticket Pass AND a ticket for The Welcoming: Be Chosen, it’s a total of a whopping £28 (£33 including House Of Monsters)! Plus, your entry ticket (which is £55!) – one day at Alton Towers’ Scarefest is £83 (or £88 if you include HOM) minimal – plus food, travel, hotel etc… I know Scare Mazes are “Extras”, however, you go to Scarefest for the Scare Mazes and Halloween Attractions, you wouldn’t go otherwise, and I know for a fact that Alton Towers has always (until the last few years) had at least one Scare Maze open all (or most) of the day and ran for free. It boggles me that Attractions like House Of Monsters can last for 15-20 minutes and is only charged £5, Scare Zones are Free and you can be in them for as long as you like and Scare Mazes like Altonville Mine Tours: The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers are £8 and lasted less than 10 minutes! It also annoys me that Disabled Guests can’t get a Carer Ticket for Free or Discounted too, as if I wanted to enter a Scare Maze – I can’t go in without my Carer at all, whether or not he/she/they wish to go in with me anyway.

Here are my reviews:

Terror Of The Towers: What Lies Within;

Terror Of The Towers has been at Alton Towers for 13 years (6 years under its current platform), and is the only permanent Scare Maze at Alton Towers with its unique history and storyline, the Scare Maze itself has been barely touched and has always been continuously popular every year. So baring this in mind, I took the plunge into making sure I got to do this Scare Maze as it was such a legendary Halloween Attraction.

For some people TOTT is their favourite for others it isn’t… (I guess it depends on taste)… for me – I was disappointed… for something SO hyped it was nothing but a let-down. I enjoyed the spookiness to it and the theming was good but I felt like not much of the story came through the Maze. There wasn’t many actors and even though it was eerie to walk through, considering I was second from the front (with my Grandad upfront), I didn’t feel scarred. I counted my screams and I sadly only screamed a grand total of once and that was at the very beginning with a jump-scare. Apart from that – nowt! I was laughing more at the young lady who was 5 places behind me who didn’t stop screaming. The only part of the Scare Maze that was anywhere near terrifying was the Finale that didn’t seem to end… we had to complete a Maze in complete darkness with only a couple of weak strobe-lights to show the way. And because of my anxiety, I became quite panicky as I was pretty much leading the way as my Grandad (bless him) couldn’t see very well as he didn’t have his glasses on and I couldn’t see in-front of myself – we almost went the wrong way! Luckily one of the actors told us to turn around and we finally managed to find our way out.

In all fairness, if you’ve never done anything like this before – then it’s an experience like no other and you’d find it very scary and like most things – our first is usually the best.

However, to me it felt like a cheap version of The London Tombs… It was pretty much the same-kind of experience (like some of the rooms, actor costumes and the shoulder holding) but it had a story and the Towers have soul to them – which is a great positive, plus, I love the ending it’s pure sheer terror and panic – the real feeling of not being able to escape. But for £18 in London, you can dwell into The London Bridge Experience (which is a more detailed (and budgeted) version of The London Dungeons) AND The London Tombs which is (depending on the size of your party) an approximately 10-20 minute Scare Maze – about the same quality as TOTT (if not, better) and has MANY more actors, (no, there’s not a story linked to it, but each room has a different theme and the finale is a chainsaw ending), personally for an extra £10, you have a good 2-3 hour horror experience WITH a Scare Maze which is worth your money.

Scare Rating: 2/5

Enjoyment Rating: 3.5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? No

What I Would Pay: £5-£6/Free

Is It Worth Doing? Yes, because it’s a decent Scare Maze and it’s a Legendary Halloween Attraction at Alton Towers. Not only that – different people have different tastes in horror and thrills. Plus, I think you would be disappointed if you left Alton Towers without doing it.

Would I Do It Again? Not unless it was Free, (much) Cheaper or a part of a Scare Maze Ticket Package. Otherwise, I don’t think I’ll be doing it again this year, unless, I was with a party of friends and/or the story/maze has been changed or extended.

Overall: I feel like Terror Of The Towers: What Lies Within is feeling very ‘worn-for-wear’, the same story has been done for 6 years now and very little has been done to the Maze itself – the actors are still making people jump in the same places and you feel how… monotone… it all is… on the other hand – it was spooky to be walking through the Towers in the dark.

Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers;

It was Altonville Min Tours’ second year at Alton Towers’ Scarefest and generally got positive reviews from the public – despite the shortness. I wasn’t too eager to do this Scare Maze as the theming didn’t fit the park and (as a personal complaint) I don’t particularly like Wild West/Hill-Billy Mine stuff let alone horror stories or films about cannibalism, incest or necrophilia etc.

However, I gave it a go due to good reviews and the fact my Auntie wanted to do it and she didn’t want to do it alone. And I am SO glad I did! Yes, it was short (too short in-fact), for us the entire experience from queuing to leaving the Scare Maze was around 10-15 minutes tops, but it was a lot of fun! I loved the minimal lighting from the helmets, I enjoyed the fact the actors could touch you (i.e. they grabbed my face, held my head, played with my hair, stroked my back & shoulders – allsorts) & I loved how the Maze had different heights and surfaces to walk on or under. The story shone throughout the Maze – I understood who each of the actors were, what was happening and the story of which was supposed to be conveyed was. I liked how it was a free-flow Maze and you could spend as much time in there as you liked (within reason), I mean if you hung about for too long then you do get rushed through a little bit –probably because they don’t want the next group to catch up with you. But even though this Maze lacks in Thrills & Scares – it pays off in theming (the Maze was so heavily themed if you had an allergy to Latex you couldn’t go in! And not only that – the Maze was also pumped in with scented smoke machines!) and the talented actors who do really well in interacting with guests – including the actor who had to perform in nothing but his pants!

The only disappointing thing I could mention was that there were a few pyrotechnics towards the end, but they weren’t very loud and the finale as a whole was quite… deflating. Apart from that – I can’t fault the Maze with the exception of it should be much longer for the amount of time you’re in there for.

Scare Rating: 3.5/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? Yes.

What I Would Pay: £8 again if it’s the same (or higher) quality as last year, but I would be happier if it was longer or there was more jump scares, if it *was* a longer Maze – I’d be happy to pay £10, however, I do believe £5-£6 is a fair and reasonable price for the attraction.

Is It Worth Doing? Yes! Both on its own or with other Scare Mazes.

Overall: I feel like Altonville Mine Tours: Uncover The Legend Of The Skin Snatchers is at its peak on the Bell Graph, I really enjoyed it last year and if it returned to Scarefest again, I’d most likely do it – even if it was the only one I did. It’s not immensely scary but it’s not a push-over Attraction either. I do believe if that Altonville Mine Tours did come back – the Maze HAS to be longer or the experience as a whole should be extended (i.e. a video or an activity beforehand) and I can’t stress this enough ALTONVILLE MINE TOURS NEEDS A BETTER FINALE! #JusticeForTheAltonvilleMineToursFinale

The Welcoming: Be Chosen;

The Welcoming: Be Chosen was a brand new Scare Maze for Scarefest 2017. The Welcoming was a prequel ‘Experience’ to the upcoming ride, Wicker Man, which was under a Project name of SW8 (Secret Weapon 8), from late 2015 - December 7th 2018 (due to the Official name release by Alton Towers and Merlin Entertainments on December 8th 2018), much like how The Sanctuary was to The Smiler.

I was intrigued by this fact, so this was my third and final Scare Maze I chose to do, as it also helps that I really liked the idea of a ‘Wicker Man’ type Scare Maze as it was a ‘different’ type of horror – it wasn’t ghosts, ghouls and things that go bump in the night – it was more pagan and magic type horror; the fear of an unknown experience… and the potential that The Welcoming may not come back next year once Wicker Man/SW8 was built as we no longer need to ‘Be Chosen’.

Plus, I am a Wiccan, so this is right up my street. Yeah, it’s slightly offensive to my religion but I’m not goin to have a hissy-fit over it. And besides, it’s only a bit of fun, eh?

(I didn’t choose to do Sub Species: The End Games as 1. You get chased. 2. You get touched excessively and pinned to the walls. 3. You can get pulled out of the maze, made to stand alone in room on your own in the dark for anytime between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. 4. There are alternative routes where you might have to crawl. All-in-all, I didn’t fancy it. I know a lot of people say it’s the best one because it’s the scariest but I always worry about being put in a room on my own because of my epilepsy, plus, I don’t want to go through on an alternative route on my own due to anxiety. And I really don’t want to crawl… No thanks…)

We got to do The Welcoming: Be Chosen around 8.30-8.45, so it was really dark and chilly and overall – it was the perfect time to do this Scare Maze as it caused a brilliant spooky and gothic atmosphere – it was like we were in the 1973 film ‘The Wicker Man’ (I presume that film and AHS’ Roanoke where big inspirations for The Welcoming: Be Chosen and the theming & story behind SW8/Wicker Man). I usually say ‘don’t do scare mazes in the dark’ because again, it’s a bit like doing indoor rides in the dark – there’s no point as you’re not going to notice, however, I found as The Welcoming was a Scare Maze outside (like a Scare Zone), this particular one was better at night as the atmosphere is better. And even for other (indoor) Scare Mazes doing it just as when the Sun goes down means; just as you exit – you’re going out to darkness and I feel like that really does add a special Halloween touch to it.

I really enjoyed The Welcoming, there was lots of actors, lots of set and theming – which was nice to see, I was worried on how detailed it was going to be as it was an open outdoor one. There was a large flame pyrotechnic at the start – which was impressive, but soon disappointing as the theme of fire wasn’t really carried on… It was a nice walkthrough, a few jump scares and a few grotesque rooms but overall – nothing horrifying. But it was an enjoyable experience where I had a few laughs and a few screams it was a really nice free-flow where we could, once again, take our time and walk at our own pace (so to speak). I enjoyed looking at the hidden details in the set and admired the actors’ interactions with us, the guests and nothing really scared me until… we had to place a bag over our heads.

Then that was the scary part.

Not because I couldn’t see. But because I feared of having a seizure.

I did know it was going to happen, don’t get me wrong. But it was a slight fear of the actors not letting me take it off. Y’know… just encase.

I was daunting this part, but I put the bag over my head as instructed, and I made sure my mouth wasn’t covered – so I didn’t get too hot and I could breathe, and after that, it wasn’t too bad. We had to hold on to some rope with our left hand that ‘guided our way’, once I had my hand on the rope, I forgot I had a bag on my head and I wasn’t scared anymore, it also helped that I kept my right hand on the person in-front of me and the person behind me had their right hand on my shoulder, so there really wasn’t much to deal with. I could still see light and the basic outlines of shapes and the only thing that troubled me was my hearing was muffled. And once I got the hang of using the rope, I got through it in no time at all! The best (and also scariest) part for me was when one of the female actors pinned me against the fence (whilst I still had the bag ON MY HEAD) and wouldn’t let me go for a good minute, I started laughing and said ‘Well, this isn’t the worst date I’ve been on.’, by the time she let me leave she said (in her growly character voice), ‘Now that’s what I call I blind date!’. I must also warn you, during the hooded section, they do sometimes touch your arms and legs a bit, it’s more to see if you’ll jump or not, but I was way too focused on feeling for the rope and concentrating on my breathing than anything else.

The second half of the Maze was great – it was a little more horrific than the rest and there was a lot of mood and strobe lighting in a wicker tunnel – which was nice. It’s a shame there wasn’t more fire effects throughout – not even small pyrotechnics or light effects. And the finale was so ineffective that I can’t even remember it!

Out of all three Scare Mazes I paid for, I enjoyed The Welcoming the most! It was fun, inventive and certainly an experience I’ll remember!

Scare Rating: 4/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: £8

Was It Worth The Money? Yes.

What I Would Pay: £8 or £10 if it was improved or had more scares.

Is It Worth Doing? If you haven’t done it before and it’s back this year, then yes, do it! On a personal note, I don’t think I would do it again this year due to the fact that it was both boring and exciting at the same time (a bit like microwaved chicken nuggets). If The Welcoming came back for Scarefest 2018 with a different tag-line or story and therefore, it was a different experience (even if it was only a slight change), then yes, it would be worth paying to do it again.

Overall: it wasn’t as scary as I wanted it to be or it was hyped up to be, the loudest scream I did was the jump-scare of the bag being pulled off my head by an actor; to me if it weren’t for the hooded section (and some of the grotesqueness some of the sections had to offer), The Welcoming: Be Chosen could’ve easily been an (over 12 or 15s) Scare Zone. Considering, the Scare Maze was called The Welcoming: Be Chosen, I would’ve thought there would’ve been a room/section where there was some guest participation or a ritual of some-sort that would’ve taken place in the middle of the Maze, as nothing about the whole experience pointed towards anything about any of us or the actors “being chosen” and there wasn’t a lot of story in the Maze either… I didn’t quite know what was going on, when we wasn’t hooded, all it seemed to be was “here’s a village, show yourself around it”. It’s like you showing someone (who’s not seen Doctor Who before) a picture of the TARDIS and then that person is supposed to understand the entire show from that picture… it doesn’t work like that… and considering how important this Scare Maze is to Wicker Man/SW8 – it doesn’t seem much story development has been put into it, sadly.

I do hope The Welcoming comes back this year so it can link in with Wicker Man, even if it is for the one last season, however, it has shown that Alton Towers’ guests aren’t a big fan of Scare Mazes that include a hood over your head (i.e. The Haunting Of Molly Crowe – Scarefest 2015), unless they change the layout/experience, I think The Welcoming: Be Chosen may not come back for this year’s season even with it being connected to Wicker Man/SW8.

Freakshow Scare Zone

It was Freakshow’s 3rd year at Scarefest last year at Alton Towers. And it was more popular than ever! A Scare Zone is ultimately, just a ‘dressed up’ walkthrough with actors, music/audio, light, smoke and/or other effects and lots of scenery and theming. Basically, it’s a short family-friendly Scare Maze and it’s (usually) free at most Theme Parks. They’re not supposed to be scary (as such) just jumpy and a lot of fun for every one of all ages.

I went through the Freakshow Scare Zone a few times both in day and night (and without actors too), I find that it’s a lot more fun during the evening as the dark makes the lights and smoke effects more affective and again, it creates a great atmosphere.

During the day is nice too as you get to see it all without being bombarded with actors in your face and you tend to find less people go through during the day as well and you can take photos of the theming before it gets too crowded or smoky.

It opens at 5pm, i.e. “that’s when the performers come out to play”, but apart from that it’s free to venture throughout the entire day and you can come and go as you please as many times as you like and the best part is that you can take as much time as you like (literally) and you won’t be rushed along. You could stand there on the spot if you wanted to.

The actors do a really good job of interacting and entertaining the guests, all very lovely and all very talented. They put on a show about 5 minutes before 5pm just as the gates open too!

Out of everything at Scarefest, I did enjoy Freakshow the most. But that’s usually the case with Alton Towers’ Scare Zones. The Free Entertainment/Attractions are usually the better ones!

Scare Rating: 2/5

Enjoyment Rating: 5/5

I Paid: Nothing, it was FREE!

Was It Worth The Money? Yes!!!

What I Would Pay: I would obviously still keep it Free, however, if Alton Towers did start charging for Scare Zones, I would pay £2 or £3 maximum – only if it was a REALLY good one! But I believe Scare Zones should always be free, end of. It’s a walkthrough for Gods’ sake!

Is It Worth Doing? Yes! And again and again! Well, it’s free, so why not?!

Overall: I can’t fault Freakshow. It’s a bit of a short one compared to Zombies! Scare Zone in Scarefest 2014. But apart from that, it’s perfect! It’s a lovely way to spend a couple of minutes just to have a laugh! I hope it stays for one or two more Seasons! Not only that, Alton Towers just needs to invest in one or two more Scare Zones as it’s what people want!

Park Changes:

Cbeebies Land;

Cbeebies Land; this isn’t going to take too much time up, as I didn’t get to see the whole area properly, due to having a limited amount of time in the enormously vast park (even though we were there for a solid two days). First of all, I love what they’ve done to the area and even though Cbeebies Land has been installed at the park for a good 3 years now, it all looks so lovely and ‘brand new’, which is a great advancement on targeting families with young/mixed-aged children. From the entrance to what was known as Old McDonald’s Farm and Storybook Land, has now been completely transformed to the bright, colourful and immensely interactive Something Special Sensory Garden, which has been specially designed for all children of different ages and abilities to enjoy. Of course, by contract from the BBC, Cbeebies Land and the Cbeebies Land Hotel ‘has’ to always be well-kept and to be put first before any of the other attractions at Alton Towers Resort, however, with this being said, I believe, from what I’ve seen some of the ‘upgrades’ have had a really shoddy job i.e. ‘Get Set Go: Tree Top Adventure’ formally ‘The Nutty Squirrel Ride’, yes, I might be a bit biased because that particular ride (and all those rides in that area) were a part of my childhood and it’s very nostalgic for me and to see it get defaced like that is incredibly heart breaking. Yes, I like the idea of Cbeebies Land and the Hotel and it’s doing the Park a lot of good and giving the Resort as a whole a new ‘name’ and brand again, however, I feel like the Park could’ve done a lot more with the area, whether they just re-themed and renovated the area and actually spent some TLC (Towers Loving Care) with the area, i.e. if they turned it into a Fairy Tales Themed Area, Alton Towers could’ve linked it to Scary Tales – the Scare Zone that Alton Towers had (near the Dark Forest) a few Scarefests ago that was incredibly popular and was only a Scare Attraction for one year, sadly.

Cbeebies Land was well worth the instalment, however, I believe all Alton Towers needed to do to Old McDonald’s Farm was to re-brand and refurbish the area and ‘make it their own’ so to speak and evidentially, and save Merlin Entertainments a lot of money that could’ve been spent elsewhere i.e. TLC around the park or the development of SW8.

Secondly – Changes Around The Park:

Forbidden Valley;

The last time I visited Alton Towers Resort was around 4 years ago, and since my visit last October, I noticed a lot of changes. One of course was the change of Air to Galactica. There isn’t a lot different to Galactica than there was to Air (which was to be suspected), with the exception of the VR and literally ONE piece of track theming which is, of course, the portal. Forbidden Valley hasn’t changed much in regards to the theming of Galactica, nor the Queue Line or the Ride Station with exception to a few of the Ride Logos plastered around. There was a ‘slight’ paint job on the inside of the Ride Station with a new video explaining the Galactica Experience, but apart from that, nothing was changed much, to me Air shouldn’t have been a ride to be updated with VR and the entire ‘Space Exploration’ Theming has ruined the idea behind The Forbidden Valley. I unfortunately didn’t have enough time to ride Galactica with the VR as when I got to the queue, Galactica, unfortunately, malfunctioned and I didn’t have enough time during that day to go back to ride Galactica either in the dark or with VR, which I have been wanting to do both times I’ve been at Scarefest and I have annoyingly missed.

A few more changes I saw in The Forbidden Valley were:

-The removal of the wonderful Top Spinner Ride – Ripsaw, which was incredibly sad to see.

-The Rollercoaster Restaurant with an extravagant queue to match the prices.

-The TLC on Nemesis’s Ride Station – which looked gorgeous on the Nemesis Monster, of which NEEDED a really good paint! I’m so impressed of how much Alton Towers has looked after this ride over the years it has been standing.

-And finally; the removal of Nemesis: Sub Terra’s Ride Signage. But don’t be saddened, as the building and queue line still stands and there is a sign outside the ride from The Phalanx hinting that there may be a new attraction soon, however, this was completely due as Nemesis: Sub Terra has been closed since the 2015 season as it was underwhelmed by the public. Hopefully, if anything does come out of this – a new attraction could be open by 2019 or possibly 2020?

Another (temporary) change was that the foot path from Mutiny Bay to Katanga Canon was closed due to the construction site of SW8 (Wicker Man), luckily it was open from 4pm due to the park in Peak Season. The footpath will be fully open once SW8 is open in the 2018 Season.

Adventure Land;

When I was last at Alton Towers, Adventure Land (and it’s only ride) was pretty occupied by SEGA and the Sonic The Hedgehog franchise, and since then Alton Towers Resort has lost the rights to Sonic and now Adventure Land’s only ride, Spinball Whizzer (was Sonic Spinball), just stands - still operating, but with no theming or development into the area whatsoever. To me, I think Alton Towers just uses Adventure Land now as spare space for Scare Mazes at Scarefest (i.e. Freak Show) and storage. I truly believe that Alton Towers could expand the area for Adventure Land and at least put in some flat rides, some theming or maybe an activity or indoor dark attraction.

The Towers & Gardens;

After YEARS of visiting Alton Towers Resort, I have NEVER been in the Gardens and I have rarely been in the Towers and as far as I and others have seen from both my and family visits, the Towers and Gardens have never really been in great shape. Luckily, both the Towers and the Gardens were closed for most of last season due to Alton Tower’s TLC Program, not letting the public in or near the grounds. And as per usual, The Towers are closed for just over half of the season to the General Public anyway for the preparations of Scarefest anyway. When I visited Alton Towers this year, The Towers’ renovations looked incredible! And the Garden reconstruction was a brilliant transformation! No more peeling paint or cracked windows, just beautiful 18th Century History.

Not only that, Hex: The Legend of the Towers, got a well-deserved re-vamp too! From gorgeous new signage to bigger TVs, Hex got the works! I know I haven’t been on Hex in a long while, however, Alton Towers did make sure that Hex stays as one of the best Madhouse Rides in the world, the Octagon looked incredible, the tree got brand new LEDs and the interior of the Towers looked fully restored, everything from the paintings to the artefacts looked like they’ve been kept in a great condition as well as some improved scenery and décor added. I may have only had one ride of Hex last month, but it was the best experience I’ve had on Hex in a very long time.

X Sector;

With the exception of added lighting on and around Oblivion, (which is temporary and only for the purpose of Scarefest and Fireworks), it’s sad to say not a lot has been done to the X Sector. Oblivion’s queue line and ride station really needs some love and care to it or an all-in-all re-theming to match The Smiler and The Ministry of Joy. Within two days, I only got one ride on Oblivion and whereas it used to be one of my favourite rides at Alton Towers, I’ve unfortunately had to lower its ranking. Unless you sit on the back row, you’re going to have a shaky ride. The track is still as timeless as it was when it was built and I will still ride the mighty Oblivion, however, I may be a little bit reluctant to ride straight after Enterprise. Of which, is a ride I don’t want to go on much more and I feel like it should get replaced with a different thrill flat ride. On the other hand, I’ve actually changed my mind about The Smiler. Out of all the times I’ve ridden The Smiler, the last 3 rides I had last month were probably the best! Yes, The Smiler is a bit rocky and the track has aged terribly and isn’t as smooth as it was when first built. And usually, with The Smiler, it’s a Marmite ride, you either REALLY love it or you REALLY hate it. 4 years ago, I started off not so keen, now I love it! The Smiler is a ride that you have to go on with the certain conditions:

-Late Evening

-Raining

-Backrow

If you don’t ride The Smiler with 2 (or more) of these conditions, then what’s the point? I honestly can’t enjoy this ride unless it’s a raining night at Scarefest. End of. A part from that, really, just don’t bother.

The only thing I hate with The Smiler is the queue line and the Ride Station.

-Firstly; the Ride Station is so… out-of-sync with the theming of The Smiler… it’s just really off… and it’s a shame because The Smiler itself is incredibly scenic and then the Ride Station is an entire eye-sore.

-The queue line itself does a good job with theming etc. and I like that. It sticks to the storyline of the ride (I.e. you’re tightly compacted and you feel like a lab rat), which is really good because it’s really rare you find that at Theme Parks. But it’s probably just a personal thing, but it makes me feel rather panicky because of my anxiety, plus, the indoor queue line is dark, squashed and there seems to be not much order. Also, I find that The Smiler Staff make the Disabled Queue wait a long time, because to me I feel like Disabled Riders (both Ambulant and Wheelchair-bound) should be higher priority because we physically cannot queue for one reason or another.

-I also feel like the Ride Station and Queue Line have seen much better days with it being wet, muddy, paint peeling, projectors & audio failing at times. I know that sounds picky, but considering The Smiler is a new ride (which has been running for just less than 5 years now), I would’ve thought the Maintenance would’ve been high-priority for the park, but again, that’s just a personal thing.

Cloud Cuckoo Land;

Again, due to losing the copyright’s to Blue Sky’s Ice Age, Alton Towers no longer has Ice Age 4D in the Theatre and this has resulted in Cloud Cuckoo Land getting de-furbished to its original state, which would’ve been really nice if they did a good job of it. All Alton Towers have done is re-paint the area in astonishingly bright colours that would put a UV Techno Party to shame and poorly remove and/or cover the Ice Age décor and scenery. The Cloud Cuckoo Land entrance signage has had a REALLY shoddy job to the point where you can STILL see the Ice Age sign underneath. As well as Ice Age 4D, three other rides/attractions have been removed since I was last at Alton Towers;

-Wobble World has been removed (permanently), as the building is now used for The House of Monsters during Scarefest.

-Charlie and The Chocolate Factory: The Ride, obviously an IP Ride that Alton Towers lost the copyrights for and is also permanently closed for the time being and is currently blocked by a (custom-designed) wooden fence and bright flowers. Hopefully, something will be done soon as there’s literally only 2 Dark Rides left on the park, it’ll be nice to see another indoor water ride (or any water ride for that matter) installed on park.

-Twirling Toadstool, a chair-swing ride that has been on the park for many years and has been a park favourite throughout many age groups, has been taken off park temporarily for TLC.

Cloud Cuckoo Land is too much of a huge area just for 3 Flat Rides, and it is a shame to see this area be neglected over the years, however, it is nice to see the Cloud Cuckoo Land Cars back up and working again with a brand-new look for 2017. I hope that in either the 2019 Season or 2020 Season, Cloud Cuckoo Land gets some proper TLC, a brand new dark ride and a new theatrical or cinematic show in their Theatre.

Gloomy Wood;

Poor old Gloomy Wood… is again, another area that’s always left out of major TLC, considering how popular it is – even with one ride!

Last winter Duel’s signage and the exterior were given some TLC but it isn’t noticeable unless you’re looking for it. Duel’s ride lighting was changed to LEDs for cheaper running costs, however, this was a mistake as you can now see the mechanisms that move the Ghosts and Ghouls inside the Ghost Train.

I had a few rides on Duel at my last trip and they weren’t as enjoyable as I remember. Yes, it’s still a fun family ride that I do enjoy very much and you’d be stupid to not go on it at Alton Towers. But I’m starting to feel like it’s losing its touch. Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back is such an iconic ride at Alton Towers and Gloomy Wood has some of the best theming in the area and has usually been well kept over the years, yet, it’s never as well looked after as other sections of the park.

I’m glad that there’s been some added track and monsters to Duel since last time I rode Duel, although, Alton Towers could’ve used that spare money to sort out the problem with the laser guns (as they stop working before the ride finishes), the ride audio (as its muffled in certain places and sometimes two or three tracks overlap as you’re moving from section to section), the spinning tunnel (as it hasn’t been working for YEARS), or the queue line (as it’s incredibly too-worn-for-wear, so to speak).

Speaking of the queue line, it is nice that Alton Towers actually put in pumpkins and other Hallowe’en decorations in the queue line during Scarefest, which happens to be the only Hallowe’en decorations I found around the park with exception of Towers Street.

SW8 a.k.a. Wicker Man:

SW8’s name was Officially released on 8th January 2018 after waiting since late 2015, however, a lot of Theme Park Enthusiasts had found a leaked name of ‘Wicker Man’ and ‘Wicca Man’ floating around the Theme Park Community since early-mid 2017, due to this speculation, that was the theory of what SW8 was going to be named – so the ‘name release’ wasn’t much of a surprise.

Putting this aside, this still hasn’t dampened the excitement of the Theme Park Community as the original concept art has now been released and it looks STUNNING, not only that the ride is going to be the World’s First WOODEN Rollercoaster to combine the element of fire, with a 6 Story Tall Wicker Man Statue busting into flames as you ride through its chest! Usually, wood and fire do not mix well, so that’s why “most” of the flames will be special effects using lights & projections and the “real” flames won’t be touching or anywhere near the riders at any time. If done correctly, the fire effects will look gorgeous and this is going to be a ride that changes the future of Alton Towers and its further developments for a long time and this will hopefully, create a new outlook on the futures’ of Theme Parks nation or even world-wide!

It is said that the ride will be Multi-Sensory and has been speculated that there could also be a smoke filled tunnel as well as other ‘World-First Effects’.

I am really looking forward to riding Wicker Man, as it is the first new Wooden Coaster to be built in 21 Years and not only that Alton Towers have also said that Wicker Man is going to be an ‘Experience’ and have a few video screenings beforehand (like Hex), I’m really excited to see the Theming of this new ride as well to finally see another ride join Gloomy Wood!

I saw Wicker Man get partially built at Scarefest last year, and it looks AMAZING! It was hard to see from ground level as 1. The fencing is in the way. 2. Being in a wheelchair gives you bad angles. However, seeing it from the Skyride (a bird’s eye view) was something else! It’s a phenomenal piece of track that looks like it’s going to do the park some justice for once and claim back its reputation of great coasters! The Wicker Man Statue has been seen on social media sites like Instagram recently and it looks AWESOME!

I can’t wait to see it in all its glory and the fire effects in the dark will be spectacular!

Wicker Man will be a great success!

Well Done Alton Towers!

(A big THANKS to the YouTube Channel - Theme Park Worldwide, who have been constantly doing Vlogs on Alton Towers’ 2017 Season and the SW8 Construction Update Videos!)

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