Our final visit for the 2021 season was Alton Towers for their Firework Spectacular event. Our intention was to ride as many rides as we could before the fireworks closed most of them at 5pm, then head to the lawns for a good spot.
Our day started like most at Towers, getting onto Wicker man first before the queues became too long, then onto Battle Galleons as there wasn’t a queue and next to Rita. We were intending to ride Th13teen, but due to the new rules, it can’t run in the rain. There was a bit of mist about, which I assume was why it was closed earlier on in the day but we never actually got any rain all day. It did open later but we were always miles away from it!
Next we went on Roller Disco, one of the Retro Squad rides that were brought in to relieve queues on other rides. Roller Disco is probably the weaker of the Retro Squad as it didn’t have much force or spinning to it. I’m not normally a fan of Waltzers due to the stop/start nature of the spinning but even I would have liked a little more!
Next was Gangsta Granny: The Ride, which was fine once again, and even with this being our third ride, I still noticed new fart jokes in there!
After checking our photos for Gangsta Granny, we headed to The Burger Kitchen for some dinner, which was nice. Chips could have done with cooking a bit longer, but it was nice enough. I think they could have done with opening up the whole restaurant for seating though as it was very cramped!
Our next visit was X-Sector for rides on Mixtape and Oblivion. The Smiler was still down so I couldn’t get a final ride of the season today, and through out our visit neither of us saw any action at all from the ride. Hopefully it’ll be back next year!
Mixtape is arguably the best Retro Squad ride, at least for Tracy and myself as it is a really fun, decently forceful ride! Even though the soundtrack to all three is the same, I think it fits Mixtape the best.
We then headed to Spinball Whizzer, Runaway Mine Train, Duel and finally Funk n’ Fly. Funk n’ Fly is only the second Super Trooper that I’ve ridden and this one’s sequence was the best. When it initially tilted, it felt just like Clarence Pier’s one, but when it went the other way, it did so with enough speed to properly shake the gondolas which was a thill and certainly woke us up!
With our last ride done before the fireworks, we headed to Towers Street. Festivities started at 5pm warming everyone up until the show at 7pm. All in, the were about 16,000 people in attendance for the fireworks, and looking around, you’d think there were a lot more!
As for the show, it went through the history of the park, starting in the 1850s when Alton Towers was finished, then onto 1980 when the park first opened as a theme park. Many of the rides get their own segments such as Nemesis, Oblivion and The Smiler, others were absent, most notably Galactica which didn’t get a mention at all. Maybe it really is curtains for Galactica?
The display featured dot matrix screens, fire and smoke, excellent audio, as well as many lasers that filled the sky above us, and of course many fireworks too!
The whole show lasted around 26 minutes and was a fantastic way to celebrate the 40th anniversary and round off the 2021 season. Last year was Alton Towers’ 40th anniversary but due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, the fireworks were called off. I am so glad they managed to get them in this year, and even though we grumbled at having to pay £20 on top of our annual passes, we thought it was well worth it in the end!
Those involved should be very pleased with themselves for bringing together all those elements and making it work so incredibly well! Even Tracy said that it gave Disney’s fireworks a run for their money! Let’s hope we can see more of this going forward!
After the show, we caught up with Theme Park Worldwide again, and this time managed a photo and met Charlotte too! They’re both lovely, and hope to see more of them on our travels!
Thanks to Tracy for taking this photo of Theme Park Worldwide and myself!
To round off our day, and the season, we had a ride on Galactica, the last of the big coasters we’ve yet to have a night ride on. It rode as well as it ever has and even though I think it’s day are numbered, I look forward to more rides in the 2022 season and beyond!
Last year, Alton Towers launched a new event, Oktoberfest. Unfortunately we didn’t manage to get to it, but heard great things afterwards so this year, we made sure to go and visit and see what the event was all about.
We made a small break of it by stopping in the Splash Landings hotel for a couple of nights, having a day in the water park, and of course, visiting the theme park too.
Day 1 – Arrival
We travelled down with the aim of getting there for around 3pm when our room would be ready at the Splash Landings Hotel, so we could check in and head into the park for the last hour or so for 1 ride, take some photos and have a peek at what Oktoberfest has in store for us!
We saw that Th13teen had a 10 minute queue so thought it rude not to have a ride, but it turned out to be a walk on! Afterwards, we bought a photopass, giving us 4 printed photos for £20. Not quite the bargain that the old annual digipass used to offer, but not a bad deal, especially when compared to Paultons 5 for £40.
Next we meandered around the back of the park, taking photos and and taking in the afternoon atmosphere before we headed up to Towers Street where most of the festivities were.
Some of Oktoberfest as seen from the top of the Towers.
Similar to how Scarefest was laid out, we found many different food offerings and stalls, selling a range of beers and Bavarian themed foods such as pretzels and bratwurst. We had a beer and wandered around checking out all the stalls ready for the following day. I can definitely recommend Spaten lager!
Once we’d had our fill of the evening’s entertainment, we headed back to the hotel for something to eat.
One thing to note, is that we decided to go during the week for this visit with the hopes that it would be quieter and it certainly was! Even though it was a mid week visit, there was still plenty of entertainment running, and it even ran on until 6pm, an hour after ride closed
Day 2 – Oktoberfest
Day 2 dawned to a beautiful looking day, clear and bright, perfect conditions for a day in the park. As we were hotel guests, we were able to use the hotel entrance by Galactica, so we headed off and once we’d been bag checked, queued for our first ride of the day on Galactica.
We ended up having the privilege of being first on the ride so opted for a back row. As we intended to reride Galactica, it meant we could compare the back row to whatever row we managed to get on our second ride.
I’ll write another blog post going into more detail about Galactica, my thoughts and observations of the ride, but for now, both of us enjoy Galactica, it’s a gentle giant and a polarising change when compared with Nemesis, our second ride of the day.
Nemesis!
We ended up getting mid trains seats in Nemesis and it ran really well, not too much head banging and roughness today!
Fast passes
Following on from our forays in the Forbidden Valley, we went off to Towers Street to pick up our fast passes. Now I know fast pass tickets can cause a lot of controversy but I don’t mind them at all. They are expensive for what they are, and it does upset some folk that others pay to be ahead of them, but I don’t mind others doing it, or paying to do it myself. It allows me to have more packed into my day at the cost of money, as opposed to it costing me time in queues. As it turns out, the barcodes I printed were all we needed so this was a little bit if a wasted trip!
X-Sector
Once we’d gotten back on track, we headed off towards X-Sector. Our first attraction was The Smiler, and for the first time ever, Tracy rode along with me. It really wasn’t her cup of tea, too many inversions for her liking but I thoroughly loved it. It rode well, there was only a small amount of roughness that I could feel, though Tracy did mention she suffered a lot of head banging so I don’t know if being taller helps here!
The Smiler!
After being ‘corrected’, Tracy needed some time to cool off so we stopped for a break just outside X-Sector and found there were loads of hungry ducks! Both if us managed to hand feed a couple, which was a first for me!
Wickerman & Katanga Canyon
After that, we went off for a ride on Wickerman, the parks newest rollercoaster. We’ve had a fair few rides before and have both commented how Megaphobia is a better woodie, but today, Wickerman was riding like a treat. Smashing through the turns, bouncing all over the place and feeling properly unhinged as a woodie should. Hopefully with more and more time passing, it’ll cut its own grooves and really come into its own!
Sharkbait Reef next. We’ve had plenty of walk throughs of the attraction in the past, but it’s always nice to head in and see if anything has changed, as we found that Chessington’s Sealife had been updated when we went during Wilderfest.
Horseshoe crabs – One of many species to discover!
Not too much had changed from our last visit, but it was still nice to have a relaxed walk through and see the animals.
Next we decided it was best to do the Runaway Mine Train in Katanga Canyon while we were up this end of the park.
Runaway Mine Train is a fine example of a family rollercoaster! The ride operators always seem in excellent spirits and regularly engage with riders and tease sending them off on 2 or 3 cycles. We thought we were only getting two as the train had almost completely stopped before they sent us off on another run.
Between the ride operators, the ride itself and how it interacts with the rapids ride, as well as its theming, it’s always worth a visit to Katanga Canyon for a go!
Before heading onto Forbidden Valley, we stopped off for a ride on Duel: The Haunted House Strikes Back! It’s fair to say that we both really enjoy this ride, but it always breaks down into which is better, Duel, or Tomb Blaster! For me it’s Tomb Blaster, but Tracy backs Duel!
Either way, Duel is a great interactive dark ride, where riders score points by shooting at targets scattered around a haunted house. For me, it’s a thoroughly enjoyable ride, but could do to see a few more modern animatronics and maybe a system where shooting targets activates things.
Definitely worth the visit to have a go on Duel!
Back to Forbidden Valley & Beyond…
We then headed back to Forbidden Valley to reride Nemesis and Galactica. I managed to get the fabled back row, right hand seat on Nemesis and it really does feel like another beast riding from the back as it does the front.
Galactica felt very similar to our earlier ride and previous rides to this, though we have both remarked that mid train or front was generally better than a rearward seat.
Next we headed off to The World of David Walliams and a ride on Gangsta Granny: The Ride. It was just as I remembered from earlier in the year, but for me it didn’t feel as good as before, maybe the first ride spoiled me?
It didn’t help that people weren’t following the rules and the ride operators kept jumping in and telling people off over the speakers, which killed the experience a little!
Dark Forest
Dark forest next and a ride on Th13teen first. Middle of the train seat, not much to remark really. Not a bad ride here but not the best, as the best rides on Th13teen are when it’s dark!
Rita next and the ride operators was a lovely chatty lady and you could tell she was a keen thrillseeker too. Though she said she’d never had anyone ask her for a backrow which I thought was strange as many rollercoasters are better on the back row!
Rita and Th13teen!
As for the ride, it was just as good as its always been! I’ll have to write a post about my opinions on Rita entirely, but for now I really enjoy it! Our ride was great, a little bumpy in places but still as enjoyable as ever.
Our final ride of the day was on Spinball Whizzer, the parks Maurer Spinner. For long enough I’ve rated Spinball as the best of the UKs Maurer spinning rides, but as of late, Dragons Fury seems to be giving much better rides. I don’t know what’s changed between the two, but Spinball always seems to be the same no matter who you’re on with, or where you sit.
It’s still definitely worth the ride and enjoyable for the most part with the only real nasty bits being the final brake run which can be quite abrupt. Other than that, it’s a decent ride, and the area always seems full of energy with it handling multiple cars on the track, and the audio being bouncy and fun. Love Spinballs musical score too, full of retro delights!
Finally we headed back around to the bottom of Towers Street to have some Oktoberfest food and drink and take in the entertainment. While we were on the green, I spotted none other than Shawn from Theme Park Worldwide! We stood and talked for about 15 minutes and what a lovely guy he is. Hope to catch him around again soon!
Unfortunately Charlotte was working which was a shame as we couldn’t meet both, but it was incredible to see someone in the flesh who I regularly watch on YouTube! A real theme park celebrity so far as I’m concerned, and it was the cherry on top of the cake for this visit to Towers! Thanks Shawn!
To conclude our day at Alton Towers Oktoberfest, we had a brilliant time. Even though we went midweek, there was still plenty of entertainment to enjoy, the ride queues were shorter than I’ve ever known them to be, and the park was running extremely well!
I can highly recommend Oktoberfest for anyone who likes good food, a tasty beer and lots and lots of over the top Bravarian goodness!
One of the things I rarely ever hear anyone talk about are attraction soundtracks. The music that plays in the queue line, station building or themed area. Something that adds ambiance to an area, or builds up excitement for the ride you face!
I don’t know why this is as there are some excellent scores to some great rides here in the UK, and saying that, there are some excellent rides that are missing musical accompaniment!
The good!
When I think of musical scores, the first one that usually comes to mind is The Big One’s theme from Pleasure Beach or Helix at Liseberg. Both of these are euphoric dancey tracks, and even though I haven’t ridden Helix, I can imagine it fits really well. I could easily see Helix’s theme used with Icon at Blackpool Pleasure Beach.
Icon, with Big Dipper and Big One behind
Another score I really like is Galactica’s. It fits the ride perfectly, has a sense of wonder about it and adds to the space exploration theme Galactica has. I love this one!
Galactica. A lovely soundtrack to a lovely ride!
Nemesis also has a great theme, chilling and foreboding, it helps to add to the terror of the area and the ride itself.
Another thing I do like it how Imascore, who did the music for Galactica, Spinball Whizzer, The Smiler and Wickerman at Alton Towers included parts from In the Hall of the Mountain King, Alton’s unofficial theme. A very nice little attention to detail by some very talented musicians!
The same can be said for Thorpe Parks theme, it incorporates segments of the big 5 roller coasters, and the themed areas appear to have excerpts from the main theme too. I also like Derren Brown’s Ghost Trains score.
Tornado Springs at Paultons Park also has a great score, feeling very in keeping with the 1950s American theme they have there. Same for Storm Chaser, thats theme is great too, mixing 50s guitars and rock with the sounds of a raging storm.
Tornado springs at Paultons Park
Chessington World of Adventures has some good themes, its overall park theme is fun and inspires adventure, Croc Drop’s theme is also good, but Vampire’s theme is excellent and fits the ride and station building fantastically.
The not so good!
Personally I like, but don’t love Icon’s score. It has some excellent parts, but a lot of it I find to be quite lacking. I just doesn’t have the epicness in my opinion!
Rita is another rides whos score is just ok. I didn’t get to experience Thunder Rock radio when Rita was still part of Ug Land, but I could see that fitting really well. The score it has now, does still fit the Dark Forest and Rita’s final chance of escape theme, but it could be so much more. The fault lies in the fact that Rita doesn’t properly fit Dark Forest and didn’t fit Ug Land when it was there either.
The bad!
For me, the worst score that a ride has is Oblivion. The repetitive techno track doesn’t really fit the theme of Oblivion being a next level of fear that you have to overcome, riders disappearing into nothingness and not returning, but with a techno backing track? I really don’t like this one, but I do wonder what could be used instead?
Riders braving the drop (and score) on Oblivion
Aside Oblivion, I haven’t heard a score/theme that I really don’t like, but I’m sure there will be others out there that are good, not so bad and terrible!
I haven’t been to Europe or the USA to sample their delights, but I have heard a few scores like Taron’s and Helix as mentioned earlier, and I can’t wait to get abroad and see what hidden gems there are!
After leaving Blackpool, we headed on to Days Inn at Stafford M6 southbound services. The rooms were standard rooms, twin beds, desk and the like, with an excellent shower but a lack of air conditioning. We had a very good nights stay here.
The following morning we were up, fed and on the road again ready for a day at Alton Towers!
We’ve visited Alton plenty of times before hand and are well rehearsed in how to dodge most of the queues, but I made a fatal mistake, by booking Alton Towers on a bank holiday Monday. The park was extremely busy and it meant we didn’t have much time to do many of the excellent rides this time around.
Our first stop was the new for 2021 World of David Walliams and Gangsta Granny: The Ride. There was a little confusion as to where the queue for the ride actually started, as they weren’t letting folk into the purpose made cattle pens initially, but eventually they filtered us in and after taking our photo in the queue, we boarded the ride car.
I knew nothing of the story aside a few little things I’d picked up from the queue line, but by the end of the ride, i’m pretty certain I know whats going on! The ride was brilliantly done! Very bright and vibrant, the motions, smells and visuals were a real delight to behold, and both of us thoroughly enjoyed it!
After we’d finished in the shop, we had a go on Flavio’s fabulous fandango and the Royal Carousel. Both were good times, though the operations on Flavios were quite poor, with the ride ops seemingly not fussed about getting people onto the ride in any meaningful time.
The Enterprise, finally running!
The next stop was to X-Sector where I finally got to have a go on the Enterprise ride. I’ve seen it many times before on previous visits, and always wanted a go, but for whatever reason, it’s never operated. So I had my go, Tracy sat it out as she wasn’t much of a fan of the ride type. I wasn’t disappointed! Though I do feel that the bulk of the fun of the ride is actually when it’s laying flat, it was still fun to go up in the air and experience nothing but the ride’s forces keeping you in place.
Next we tried our first Retro Squad ride with Mixtape. I’ve never seen anything like one of these before, its a real visual treat when its going and the audio they had on was great and really fit in. I think that if they gave it a bit of a repaint and fit it permanently, it would fit perfectly in X-Sectror with The Smiler and Oblivion.
We skipped The Smiler and Oblivion as their queues were quite lengthy and instead we headed up to the Dark Forest for a ride on Rita, one of my all time favorite rides. We ended up buying Fast Passes though as we couldn’t stay too late and the queue was into the 90 minute realms. As usual, we really enjoyed it, the launch is still exhilarating and the airtime we get keeps us coming back!
Rita!
After Rita, we were pretty much done. The crowds were a bit too much and operations were quite slow so we missed out on the other Retro Squad rides, Forbidden Valley and Wickerman this time around, but we’ll be back later in the year.
While we were there, Alton Towers was hosting Mardis Gras, which involved each areas having its own festival, with plenty of entertainment, street food, bright colours and music all around the park. Though not as good as what Scarefest was in 2020, it was still a great addition to the yearly line up, and we hope they do it again next year! We did feel that some of the food on offer was very expensive, but there was plenty to choose from, with cheaper options available.
Overall, a bit of a disappointing visit to Towers this time around, but I know it was my fault booking on a bank holiday, but we still had fun, experienced the big new ride for this year, and experienced things for the first time, so it wasn’t all bad news!
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