With the news that Alton Towers is looking at getting a new family coaster, I figured now is a good time to weigh in my thoughts on Towers this year, our experiences and what not!
I’ll start with the new coaster
Tracy jokingly said that if it’s themed to Bluey, they should make it inverted (since Bluey is Australian) and as much of a joke that is, I would love to see a junior invert! Definitely tame and not particularly large scale.
It would certainly be dreaming to imagine them putting in a Vekoma Junior invert like Jimmy Neutrons Atomic Flyer at Move Park Germany. I would adore that if they went down this route, but realistically I suspect it’ll be Zamperla , ZIERER or hopefully Gerstlauer. A British Wakala or Pegase Express anyone?!
As for the 2024 season
I don’t think it’s been as bad as a lot of people have said it has been. Yes, food is still abysmal in places, specifically around burger kitchen and the chicken offerings in X Sector. Still, Cursed Treats, the pizzas and jacket potatoes in Cbeebies Land and the new stuff in Forbidden Valley was decent and I thought quite tasty too. Quite expensive, and borderline too pricey to justify the quality but these just about manage. The rest certainly has a lot of room for improvement!
Ride available
Honestly there has only been 1 ride this year that has disappointed and that was Th13teen being closed during the fireworks for whatever reason. I missed it at Scarefest as I had to go home I’ll and I really wanted to give it a go during fireworks but it was closed all day, a shame really!
Other than that, I can’t honestly think of a time during our 5 visits that we couldn’t get on a ride or didn’t have chance to experience something that we wanted to. The Skyride being down all season certainly hurt the flow of our visits, and we had to plan things more than we usually would as getting from Dark Forest to Forbidden Valley was a right trek or many, many stairs through the gardens!
I have seen the posts of others who have been and posted photos showing the vast majority of the larger rides closed or broken down so I know it was happening for others. It is a shame to see things like that happening and it would be nice to see Towers offering something to help to take the sting out of a bad visit, maybe free return tickets or fast passes for a future visit?
Nemesis
The opening of Nemesis Reborn in March was one of the best days in a park I’ve ever had, the atmosphere was there, the area was packed with people, and yet it didn’t feel crowded. Nemesis was running almost flawlessly throughout the day and it was so good to see a 30 year old coaster, re-imagined, being just as popular as a new UK record holder!
I love what they did with Forbidden Valley, from replacing the Nemesis cannon with a helicopter, to the new station and theming elements all over, as well as the excellent soundtrack by Imascore. Nemesis’s return was done expertly and with all the care that it deserved so I can’t be thankful enough for that.
Fireworks
The same can also be said of this years fireworks. The Phalanx Expo was the best display I’ve ever seen, blending fireworks, screens, real fire effects and live actors together masterfully. The story was cohesive, and gunpowder was impressive and there didn’t feel like there were any gimmicks to force the show to stand out, like drones in 2022 or the water screen in 2023 (that ultimately added nothing to a decent display overall).
The VIP experience was well worth the cost of entry (though we were gifted it by a friend) but I would use my own money to pay for it without a shadow of a doubt. Nothing felt like it was cheap or corners cut to make a quick profit. £165 for passholders was just right for what you got in my opinion.
Merchandise
The biggest strength that Alton Towers has had this year is their merchandise. The new stuff has been of very good quality, specifically their embroidered logos on clothing, the 2 new patches we got and their homeware stuff too.
I also like the themed coca cola drinks vessels too, the Wicker Man one is excellent, thought the Nemesis one does look a little busy and like an overflowing milkshake. Yes they are pricey too for what is essentially a plastic cup with an RFID chip in it, but you buy them once and never need another (so long as you don’t drop it as I did with my Smiler one!)
It’s not all sunshine and daisies…
Some of the rides really need some TLC. The Smiler’s trains are very tatty in places, Rita’s are the same. Mix matched restraints, some looking bright and new, others worn and filthy. Many of the coaster’s tracks need a good pressure wash or even a repaint, same with some of the stations and theming elements.
It just needs going over with a fine tooth comb, tarting up bits here and there, a good spit an polish here and there. The park would also benefit from a proper sit down restaurant other than Wood Cutters and Roller Coaster Restaurant I feel (more on that in an upcoming video!)
Nemesis was the star new attraction this year but it would have been nice to see Toxicator built to coincide with it, bringing up the ride count and giving Nemesis some new support. With the announcement that Flavio’s is finally leaving and the Blade is retiring, it does mean that Towers will be down 1 ride over this years offering, despite opening a new one (Toxicator). Maybe the Retro Squad, or something like it will make a return…? I’m sure that’ll go down well!
I’d love to see some new events or even a good reshuffle of the old ones. Oktoberfest hasn’t changed all too much from previous years, which isn’t particularly a bad thing, but new stuff is always welcomed! We lost Festival of Thrills and Mardi Gras, but gained Alton after Dark, which was a good move. This is set to return next year too which makes so much sense considering how busy the park gets on the opening weekends.
Scarefest really needs a good reshuffle. I think the park is trying to cater for too many different demographics and isn’t able to focus enough on each. I’m not sure if a bigger budget would help, but having a set of completely new mazes in 2025, or even the return of old fan favourites like The Sanctuary to compliment Amigos in the Afterlife and Compound. And for the love of all that is holy, spread these events into the parks beyond just Towers Street and the Lawns!
Looking to 2025, I hope that Alton Towers gets the investment it needs and brings itself back up to the legendary status is holds. It deserves the attention, needs the help, as I really want to continue to love what should be the UK’s premier theme park!
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