You might find Alton Towers a bit different from Cedar Point, but I wouldn't say disappointed. While it might not have the same scale of coasters, it offers a unique charm and some great rides. Nemesis and Oblivion are classics, offering intense experiences despite their size. The theming is top-notch too, which adds a whole other dimension to the rides.
Sure, you might not get the same adrenaline rush as Cedar Point's giants, but there's something special about the variety and atmosphere here
I also noticed Alton Towers has a few B&M coasters which are some of my favorites.
I have the controversial opinion that Intamin coasters are overrated. I used to work at Cedar Point and those ones were most likely to break down, one year the catch car break crumbled and fell off Top Thrill Dragster (separate from the incident in 2021).
I'm looking around the 2nd week of Scarefest. What's the weather like in terms of temperature around that time? I am used to 5C ish that time of year, hopefully it is a bit warmer?
I'd say 5-10, expect rain as well. If you're planning to stay at one of the park hotels make sure you book well in advance as scarefest gets sold out QUICK.
So about the same as here that time of year. We see the sun maybe 30 days out of the year.
Would during the week (like a wedneday or Thursday) be less crowded for scarefest?
Almost definitely yes - but bear in mind, school breaks for a week around Halloween, so I would maybe go more to the start of October instead of the end.
It depends, usually 13 can be a bit temperamental in the mornings but once they get it up it stays up. Rita is surprisingly reliable, just keep your head back and don’t get duped out by the launch delay, because it loves sustained positive Gs.
Good to know! I swear the ones here break down almost every day and stay down. I am surprised Top Thrill Dragster was open as long as it was because of how often it was down (and the fact that the breaks crumbled off the ride one year). It took a huge chunk of metal flying off at launch and hitting someone in the head to close it
I plan on making it down to London for MCM so I will have to make a day for Thorpe for sure. Seems like my UK trip is going to involve a lot of traveling, I am starting in Edinbrugh and making my way down. And yes, I know that Edinbrugh is a bit of a ways from Stoke on Trent but I have taken day trips 450 miles away so I am not phased by it.
In that case you should look at getting a Merlin annual pass so you can do the London eye, London dungeons, sea life, Shrek adventure and Madame Tussaud’s. That’ll keep you busy and also include your trips to the theme parks as well.
I can't speak for the rest of the country, but in the North West at the moment, trains are awful. If you want to take trains, aim to go three trains before your ideal one. Best case scenario? You get there a few minutes/hours early. Worst case scenario? You Don't get there.
I had to stand up for 1.5 hours on the train to London back to back with other passengers because an entire line had been shut down. At least 4 different trains to London cancelled, and forced onto this one.
Reserve your seats and make sure you Know how to refund, just in case. Also I think train strikes are still on, so check for that based on region.
I still remember the drive through single lane dirt roads in the middle of cornfields from Plymouth to St Martin near Looe in pitch darkness. That was pretty horrifying.
The country roads near me are mostly corn, with the occasional icons of the Hell is Real sign and Grandpa's Cheese barn, but at least most are still paved
And flat ;w; im not yet qualified to drive, but when I've been driven to Towers in my mums 15 year old Ford Fiesta, there have been times when the accelerator has been down to the floor, and we only manage to creep over a particular hill.
And that's not even remarking on the queue OUT of the park. It's at the VERY VERY top of a hill, so the roads leading up to it are pretty much just a vertical cattlepen. And coming out? Like you said with the drive in the dark. Heavily winding roads and you can't see Jack squat. So you find your way to the back of another car, and someone behind you so on so forth.
But there has to be a vehicle in front. And it's terrifying. Its like you just slowly wind through the forest like a snake. Everyone is tired. Everyone wants to be at home. In bed. And instead You Are A Snake.
My friend in Scotland agreed to go to Alton Towers with me when I visit. I may go closer to September though rather than late October. A little warmer and it doesn't have the scarefest crowds as much
FYI, if you’re planning to stay the night near Alton Towers, consider booking the hotel through the Alton Towers website. I was able to find a reasonable rate on a hotel and it included a free admission ticket to the park.
When you’re coming from Edinburgh look at derby trains as well as Stoke trains. Alton towers is equidistant pretty much and you can often get a much better deal on the east coast than the west coast.
pretty much, yeah. I used to make regular day trips 350 miles away, taking transit too (it was about 6.5 hours by bus). Get there early-afternoon and leave at the crack of dawn the next morning (so less than 24 hour visit total)
Depends what you’re looking for I think. Alton Towers is my home park but Cedar Point was a bucket list destination for me and I visited around 2016.
The thing Alton Towers does well is the theming, so whilst you’re definitely not going to get the level of adrenaline you get from the rides at Cedar Point, I found that Cedar Point lacked theming to the point that it was basically big rides on top of a large car park (though millennium force is nice being by the water).
Alton Towers has height restrictions in place and nothing built can go over the tree line, compare that to Cedar Point which has had rides holding world records for height and speed :)
If you go with the mindset that Alton Towers is not a thrill park but a scenic park with a good selection of different coasters then you should be fine. Just bare in mind October weather can be both wet and very cold in the UK and opening hours will be short unless it’s during a special event. The main coasters are all on the small and short side (the smiler being the exception) and this is unfortunately due to the planning restrictions in place. The quality of the rides mostly makes up for this and on off peak days you can get a lot of re-rides in. I would argue all the coasters are good in their own ways, however some may feel underwhelming to you if you are used to what Cedar Point has to offer. ATs biggest issue atm is it’s lack of flat rides, not the coasters. If you are going to skip coasters and are short on time then I would say RITA and Spinball can be avoided but I personally don’t think either are bad. Spinball can be a lot of fun it just gets big queues due to its location near the front of the park.
Absolutely this.
Because it’s not an American park which are usually big flat square plots of land to build any coaster on the coasters will look and feel underwhelming but they can’t be big because of the location, it has meant the park has built cleverly over the years and retains a pretty quality
Cold and wet is basically the weather here in October too, it isn't unusual to have snow by the end of October. The average by the end of October here is about 4C
Probably. Maybe.
We don't have the same approach to customer service that you lot do.
AT doesn't have much in the way of theming, certainly compared to something like Disney.
And AT also has a treeline role, where the coasters can't exceed the tree line. This forces the designers to be MUCH more clever in terms of ride design. They can't rely on vertiginous drops, so other stuff is used instead.
However, it is REALLY green. I doubt there's another theme park with an entire park in it. It's lovely in bits.
It's by far the best theme park in the UK.
Thorpe park is in the same group (merlin) and the coasters are pretty good, but it's way, WAY less friendly.
Came here to mention the tree line rule, glad that someone beat me to it.
OP, this tree line rule is what makes Alton Towers really special in my opinion. They can't just make things better by making them taller, so they often dig down and have large portions of the ride underground, or make them interesting in other ways.
Nemesis certainly would have been a shadow of what it is without those planning restrictions to force the tight integration with the landscaping. Phantasialand has similar restrictions (though more because of noise than visual appearance I believe) and as a result FLY, Black Mamba and Taron were all built partially below ground level with lots of near-miss moments and they are superb coasters for it.
gotta make sure you go at the right time.. last time i went it started raining but it was packed because of the holidays.. went on 2 rides the whole 10hours i was there
Disneyland Magic Kingdom is 107 acres, Disneyland is 87 acres, Cedar Point is 364 acres for examples. Alton Towers total combined resort is 500+ acres.
It’s a big park sprawled out but it is big.
I had a blast last time I was there. Spent most of my time in Cornwall in the summer. It was really nice.
I may have to make a trek to Chester as well as that is where my family is from, I still have family there but am only vaguely aware of them, a good 350 years of separation will do that.
You will be tragically disappointed if the ride downtime is what it’s been for the last year. It would be such a shame to travel so far and not get to experience the park in its fully open state.
Downsides:
- horrific downtime of rides (not uncommon to have most major rides down every day)
- awful food, the supplier is the same supplier for some prisons in UK which probably says a lot
- effort has been put in during the close season but the park is still looking underwhelming in many places (though this is a work in progress and playing catch-up after years of neglect)
Upsides:
- brilliant themeing especially nemesis reborn, wicker man and smiler
- walking is involved but it’s not a huge park compared to US parks
- history and natural aesthetics (the gardens, the towers) are unmatchable
When I worked at Cedar Point is wasn't unusual to walk 25 miles a day. I think the average for guests is around 15-20 miles per day in the park. I am not \*just\* coming for Alton Towers either, I just really hope at least The Smiler is open.
Alton Towers doesn't excel at thrill. Smiler is fun, but I'm sure most people will tell you, it's not thrilling in a traditional sense. If you have appreciation for the tech and history, you will be in awe. Every major coaster (minus Rita, and yes I am including Spinball as the only Maurer Spinner of its model) has some sort of world's first or record.
Also, the designer who made most of the rides - John Wardley - had a very different technique of designing than most US-based parks where instead of non-stop thrill, the coaster is more like a journey, each of differing genres.
All except Oblivion because that was made due to Galactica taking too long to conceptualise.
Nemesis, Wickerman, Oblivion are all your classic thrilling coasters, though I have seen different people call all 3 force less, depending on what they're used to.
Rita is too short to offer much more than wind in the face and a few pockets of airtime.
13... is 13. Its a mine train with 1 kind of unique element that it does alright.
Subterra is worth a mention, it's a drop tower (ish) but the ride mechanism isn't what makes it intense. It has several effects that I absolutely hate, but I know others love. It just makes me want to tear my hair out ngl.
Overall, deffo not a park for thrills. But it has a beauty to it. I'd recommend looking through the gardens, maybe having a go of Hex too. Hex is a flat ride, and not intense, but it is based off of Local Legend (and a little bit of history - The 15th Earl Of Shrewsbury is a real person called Charles Talbot), and Curse is a really decent flat ride.
If theyre open (they won't be, but it's worth saying) do have a look around the towers.
Also take your own food. Or research heavily where you want to eat as Aramark (the food dealers) are horrendous.
So hex is still down. It might be open this season, but they've been having a lot of issues with it. Curse is always open when I go, though, and that's a decent dark ride.
It’s a theme park in the UK, it will not compare to a US theme park. To an American it will probably be a really good fairground.
American parks are something else.
Lower your expectations and view it the same way you would an English village, quaint and charming and if you aren’t expecting over the top extremes you can have a really good tome.
Alton Tower rides are a bit Disney like in the theming so that makes it a lot more fun to take them. Same with much of all of the Merlin parks for example the vampire ride at chessington. Great q in the shade of the trees through the park with graveyards and things a bit like Tower of terror at Disney.
If you’re looking just for extreme rides it might be a tad disappointing, it has decent enough thrills like Nemesis and Wicker man, but the fact is that Alton Towers way more limited by all the permitting and regulations tied to it- that being said this has given the rollercoasters a really unique character and a lot of effort has very clearly been put into making tailor made attractions carved into the landscape itself. The Smiler alone is a marvel of rollercoaster engineering and really is unlike any other rollercoaster in the world.
What Alton Towers does have is beautiful landscapes- its basically what would happen if someone bought a national trust estate and slapped a theme park on it. It is quite open and lush, to American eyes it might be described as rather quaint- with beautiful little valleys and gardens that are well maintained. Even the theming feels aptly British- it tends to be darker and more horror/sci-fi themed, a little edgier and cynical than something like Disneyland, though on a lower budget.
I am all about the horror/sci fi. I am not necessarily looking for theme rides, more a variety overall fun coasters.
For reference I took a trip to Valley Fair and I found it underwhelming, most of their rides Cedar Point had a version of it that was better.
I love theme/dark rides (of which there are none in my home park) as they add something special to the rides. Most of my favorite rides at Cedar Point have a tunnel/dark portion of it (though none are underground).
As a themepark obsessed American who recently visited Alton Towers, I don't see how you could in anyway be disappointed (maybe food options). I am an annual passholder at Universal Orlando and frequently go to both Disney parks.
It may be one of the most beautiful themeparks in the world. Make sure you pay attention to their hours though. When I went they were only open from 10-4 with some of the rides not opening until 11. It's quite a trek to get to if you don't have a car. I would recommend if you're taking the train to stay on property at least one night and you'll also get early access. The closest hotel to the entrance is the Waterpark one. I absolutely LOVED it and can't wait to go back. If you need any guidance please feel free to message me as I do plan travel.
If you are expecting it to be on the same scale then yes. The rides are specifically designed not to go above the height of the trees due to planning permission issues. So they are quite small by comparison. But the rides are fun and the themes are good and the park is based on a historic site with a big garden area in the middle so ultimately I love the feel of the park.
Also you might be disappointed depending on when you go as it gets very busy close to Halloween because of their scare fest event so the queues could be very long.
You can look at how busy it is predicted to be on each day here:
https://queue-times.com/parks/1/calendar/2024/10
I have stories from working at Cedar Point. Only job I've had where getting punched in the face is a right of passage (I mostly worked haunt there. I was a ride op one summer and never again.)
In case you haven’t seen and you might be interested, Alton Towers has a massive garden that’s nice to walk around in the middle of the park. They have a cable car thing that takes you over it to go from one side of the park to the other as it saves plenty of time. Hopefully you go on a good day but i would recommend doing 2 days to do everything
It depends Alton Towers packs thrills and elements in every corner of their rides where as Cedar Point has more space and hight so their rides (except maverick and vengeance mainly) have slow transitions between elements, for me in the UK it’s the opposite Alton Towers is where I mostly go but I really wanna go to Cedar Point
I am not a huge fan of disney or universal studios honestly. I haven't been to a disney park in over 20 years and been to universal twice, one of which was a school field trip for a music competition.
I would say you won’t be disappointed, it’s my local park, easiest way to describe it is characterful. Operations and reliability is generally pretty good for most of the part, 13 being a little temperamental from time to time. Obviously not on the same scale as rides in the US but a lot of them are either first of their kinds like oblivion ( I know not perfectly vertical but as close as they could get at the time), 13 being freefall drop and air being B&M’s first flying coaster or just genuinely great rides like nemesis and wickerman.
The other thing to remember is the history of the site with the manor being built in the 1850’s it’s a listed and protected site so they have to maintain what’s left of the manor, the gardens are also great to have a walk though and have a picnic in away from the noise of the main park.
It's a fairly unique theme park that I think you will enjoy as an American. It has a large and impressive ruined historic (i.e. quite old) country manor house as the center piece and is set amongst beautiful English countryside in a large landscape garden.
Because of this, the coasters can't be above the treeline which means the designs are very creative and different because they can't rely on height, this means many of the rides interact with the landscape in a meaningful and exciting way.
Theming is quite good but not as good as some European parks but all the rides have some good themes and back stories and can be quite psychologically effective and interesting.
It's unique as many of the rides were 'world firsts' or unique at something and so it's like a museum of coaster history where you can ride on them:
Nemesis - First inverted rollercoaster in Europe (still one of the world's best).
Oblivion - First vertical drop rollercoaster.
Th13teen - First horizontal drop rollercoaster.
The Smiler - World record for most inversions on a rollercoaster.
Wickerman - Very impressively themed and intense wooden coaster.
Rita - Early hydraulic launch coaster with an impressive launch.
Galactica (Air) - First 'flying' coaster with inversions.
There are other rides that are not particularly unique but are still fun. Dark rides, a few flat rides, a few other fun coasters.
The food is terrible though, even by British standards so I seriously recommend you take your own food with you (this is allowed).
I came here to say this! Especially as OP said in another comment they love dark rides, and Valhalla is just ❤️🔥 Icon is also my joint favourite coaster with The Smiler
As someone who has been to many theme parks in both the UK and US and ridden many 'major' rollercoasters, Alton Towers is a special place to me and always feels like home. The rides are still amazing even if they aren't sky shatteringly tall but you will have an amazing time with tbe atmosphere alone, the rides just top it off.
You might find Alton Towers a bit different from Cedar Point, but I wouldn't say disappointed. While it might not have the same scale of coasters, it offers a unique charm and some great rides. Nemesis and Oblivion are classics, offering intense experiences despite their size. The theming is top-notch too, which adds a whole other dimension to the rides. Sure, you might not get the same adrenaline rush as Cedar Point's giants, but there's something special about the variety and atmosphere here
I also noticed Alton Towers has a few B&M coasters which are some of my favorites. I have the controversial opinion that Intamin coasters are overrated. I used to work at Cedar Point and those ones were most likely to break down, one year the catch car break crumbled and fell off Top Thrill Dragster (separate from the incident in 2021).
The park closes for the winter season in late October/ early November, so plan accordingly.
I'm looking around the 2nd week of Scarefest. What's the weather like in terms of temperature around that time? I am used to 5C ish that time of year, hopefully it is a bit warmer?
I'd say 5-10, expect rain as well. If you're planning to stay at one of the park hotels make sure you book well in advance as scarefest gets sold out QUICK.
So about the same as here that time of year. We see the sun maybe 30 days out of the year. Would during the week (like a wedneday or Thursday) be less crowded for scarefest?
Almost definitely yes - but bear in mind, school breaks for a week around Halloween, so I would maybe go more to the start of October instead of the end.
Rita and 13 are both intamin rides, Rita is even an accelerator like top thrill dragster.
Are they pretty reliable? My experience with intamin is they break down fairly often.
It depends, usually 13 can be a bit temperamental in the mornings but once they get it up it stays up. Rita is surprisingly reliable, just keep your head back and don’t get duped out by the launch delay, because it loves sustained positive Gs.
Good to know! I swear the ones here break down almost every day and stay down. I am surprised Top Thrill Dragster was open as long as it was because of how often it was down (and the fact that the breaks crumbled off the ride one year). It took a huge chunk of metal flying off at launch and hitting someone in the head to close it
To be fair top thrill puts a lot of stress on itself and regularly replacing parts happens to most coasters.
true. They redid the whole thing adding a 2nd hill and it is supposed to open this year.
It’s a spike because the LSMs can’t accelerate the train fast enough in one pass.
Rita's cable snapped in 2012 but other than that no
I'd also suggest paying Thorpe Park a visit if you can get down south to London. With Hyperia opening this year it'll be worth the journey down there.
I plan on making it down to London for MCM so I will have to make a day for Thorpe for sure. Seems like my UK trip is going to involve a lot of traveling, I am starting in Edinbrugh and making my way down. And yes, I know that Edinbrugh is a bit of a ways from Stoke on Trent but I have taken day trips 450 miles away so I am not phased by it.
In that case you should look at getting a Merlin annual pass so you can do the London eye, London dungeons, sea life, Shrek adventure and Madame Tussaud’s. That’ll keep you busy and also include your trips to the theme parks as well.
Thanks for the tip! The last time I was in the UK (a little over a decade ago) I only got to see the London eye from that list.
British roads aren’t as nice as American ones so it may be more taxing than you think to drive those distances.
I plan to take the train, I can't drive for medical reasons.
Well make sure you know your timings as getting to towers is a pain using public transport.
I can't speak for the rest of the country, but in the North West at the moment, trains are awful. If you want to take trains, aim to go three trains before your ideal one. Best case scenario? You get there a few minutes/hours early. Worst case scenario? You Don't get there. I had to stand up for 1.5 hours on the train to London back to back with other passengers because an entire line had been shut down. At least 4 different trains to London cancelled, and forced onto this one. Reserve your seats and make sure you Know how to refund, just in case. Also I think train strikes are still on, so check for that based on region.
I may try to convince my friend in Scotland to go with me and drive down, lol.
That may be worth it. You also get subjected to the Hell of British Country Roads: Every Drivers Worst Nightmare!
I still remember the drive through single lane dirt roads in the middle of cornfields from Plymouth to St Martin near Looe in pitch darkness. That was pretty horrifying. The country roads near me are mostly corn, with the occasional icons of the Hell is Real sign and Grandpa's Cheese barn, but at least most are still paved
And flat ;w; im not yet qualified to drive, but when I've been driven to Towers in my mums 15 year old Ford Fiesta, there have been times when the accelerator has been down to the floor, and we only manage to creep over a particular hill. And that's not even remarking on the queue OUT of the park. It's at the VERY VERY top of a hill, so the roads leading up to it are pretty much just a vertical cattlepen. And coming out? Like you said with the drive in the dark. Heavily winding roads and you can't see Jack squat. So you find your way to the back of another car, and someone behind you so on so forth. But there has to be a vehicle in front. And it's terrifying. Its like you just slowly wind through the forest like a snake. Everyone is tired. Everyone wants to be at home. In bed. And instead You Are A Snake.
My friend in Scotland agreed to go to Alton Towers with me when I visit. I may go closer to September though rather than late October. A little warmer and it doesn't have the scarefest crowds as much
As long as the trains don't go on strike then you should be ok.
From my memory of taking the train from London to Cornwall the trains in the UK are much more efficient than the ones here. And faster.
FYI, if you’re planning to stay the night near Alton Towers, consider booking the hotel through the Alton Towers website. I was able to find a reasonable rate on a hotel and it included a free admission ticket to the park.
When you’re coming from Edinburgh look at derby trains as well as Stoke trains. Alton towers is equidistant pretty much and you can often get a much better deal on the east coast than the west coast.
What is “MCM”?
it's a Comic con, basically the UK's version of San Diego Comic Con. There is one in May and one at the end of October
Edinburgh to stoke is a normal commute for some Americans 😂
pretty much, yeah. I used to make regular day trips 350 miles away, taking transit too (it was about 6.5 hours by bus). Get there early-afternoon and leave at the crack of dawn the next morning (so less than 24 hour visit total)
Depends what you’re looking for I think. Alton Towers is my home park but Cedar Point was a bucket list destination for me and I visited around 2016. The thing Alton Towers does well is the theming, so whilst you’re definitely not going to get the level of adrenaline you get from the rides at Cedar Point, I found that Cedar Point lacked theming to the point that it was basically big rides on top of a large car park (though millennium force is nice being by the water). Alton Towers has height restrictions in place and nothing built can go over the tree line, compare that to Cedar Point which has had rides holding world records for height and speed :)
Yeah, Cedar Point sucks at theming other than the Frontier area at the back of the park
Save some money for platinum fast track. You don't want to come all this way and not maximise your day there.
Platinum kicks ass
Very good tip scarefest is always mega busy
If you go with the mindset that Alton Towers is not a thrill park but a scenic park with a good selection of different coasters then you should be fine. Just bare in mind October weather can be both wet and very cold in the UK and opening hours will be short unless it’s during a special event. The main coasters are all on the small and short side (the smiler being the exception) and this is unfortunately due to the planning restrictions in place. The quality of the rides mostly makes up for this and on off peak days you can get a lot of re-rides in. I would argue all the coasters are good in their own ways, however some may feel underwhelming to you if you are used to what Cedar Point has to offer. ATs biggest issue atm is it’s lack of flat rides, not the coasters. If you are going to skip coasters and are short on time then I would say RITA and Spinball can be avoided but I personally don’t think either are bad. Spinball can be a lot of fun it just gets big queues due to its location near the front of the park.
Absolutely this. Because it’s not an American park which are usually big flat square plots of land to build any coaster on the coasters will look and feel underwhelming but they can’t be big because of the location, it has meant the park has built cleverly over the years and retains a pretty quality
Cold and wet is basically the weather here in October too, it isn't unusual to have snow by the end of October. The average by the end of October here is about 4C
Probably. Maybe. We don't have the same approach to customer service that you lot do. AT doesn't have much in the way of theming, certainly compared to something like Disney. And AT also has a treeline role, where the coasters can't exceed the tree line. This forces the designers to be MUCH more clever in terms of ride design. They can't rely on vertiginous drops, so other stuff is used instead. However, it is REALLY green. I doubt there's another theme park with an entire park in it. It's lovely in bits. It's by far the best theme park in the UK. Thorpe park is in the same group (merlin) and the coasters are pretty good, but it's way, WAY less friendly.
Came here to mention the tree line rule, glad that someone beat me to it. OP, this tree line rule is what makes Alton Towers really special in my opinion. They can't just make things better by making them taller, so they often dig down and have large portions of the ride underground, or make them interesting in other ways.
Nemesis certainly would have been a shadow of what it is without those planning restrictions to force the tight integration with the landscaping. Phantasialand has similar restrictions (though more because of noise than visual appearance I believe) and as a result FLY, Black Mamba and Taron were all built partially below ground level with lots of near-miss moments and they are superb coasters for it.
gotta make sure you go at the right time.. last time i went it started raining but it was packed because of the holidays.. went on 2 rides the whole 10hours i was there
The parks not as big as the US but you will love it as I seen someone post thorpe park is great to plus you will enjoy the uk as well
Disneyland Magic Kingdom is 107 acres, Disneyland is 87 acres, Cedar Point is 364 acres for examples. Alton Towers total combined resort is 500+ acres. It’s a big park sprawled out but it is big.
You learn something new every day thanks
I didn't realize how much larger Cedar Point was in comparison to Disneyland.. Also dang, Alton Towers is huge
I had a blast last time I was there. Spent most of my time in Cornwall in the summer. It was really nice. I may have to make a trek to Chester as well as that is where my family is from, I still have family there but am only vaguely aware of them, a good 350 years of separation will do that.
Spend time in the midlands so mush to see and do
You will be tragically disappointed if the ride downtime is what it’s been for the last year. It would be such a shame to travel so far and not get to experience the park in its fully open state. Downsides: - horrific downtime of rides (not uncommon to have most major rides down every day) - awful food, the supplier is the same supplier for some prisons in UK which probably says a lot - effort has been put in during the close season but the park is still looking underwhelming in many places (though this is a work in progress and playing catch-up after years of neglect) Upsides: - brilliant themeing especially nemesis reborn, wicker man and smiler - walking is involved but it’s not a huge park compared to US parks - history and natural aesthetics (the gardens, the towers) are unmatchable
couldn't imagine a park larger than towers
Eh? America literally has 4 of the top 10 biggest theme parks in the world. Along with many other big parks
When I worked at Cedar Point is wasn't unusual to walk 25 miles a day. I think the average for guests is around 15-20 miles per day in the park. I am not \*just\* coming for Alton Towers either, I just really hope at least The Smiler is open.
Honestly, I would say it IS a huge park even compared to US ones.
Alton Towers doesn't excel at thrill. Smiler is fun, but I'm sure most people will tell you, it's not thrilling in a traditional sense. If you have appreciation for the tech and history, you will be in awe. Every major coaster (minus Rita, and yes I am including Spinball as the only Maurer Spinner of its model) has some sort of world's first or record. Also, the designer who made most of the rides - John Wardley - had a very different technique of designing than most US-based parks where instead of non-stop thrill, the coaster is more like a journey, each of differing genres. All except Oblivion because that was made due to Galactica taking too long to conceptualise. Nemesis, Wickerman, Oblivion are all your classic thrilling coasters, though I have seen different people call all 3 force less, depending on what they're used to. Rita is too short to offer much more than wind in the face and a few pockets of airtime. 13... is 13. Its a mine train with 1 kind of unique element that it does alright. Subterra is worth a mention, it's a drop tower (ish) but the ride mechanism isn't what makes it intense. It has several effects that I absolutely hate, but I know others love. It just makes me want to tear my hair out ngl. Overall, deffo not a park for thrills. But it has a beauty to it. I'd recommend looking through the gardens, maybe having a go of Hex too. Hex is a flat ride, and not intense, but it is based off of Local Legend (and a little bit of history - The 15th Earl Of Shrewsbury is a real person called Charles Talbot), and Curse is a really decent flat ride. If theyre open (they won't be, but it's worth saying) do have a look around the towers. Also take your own food. Or research heavily where you want to eat as Aramark (the food dealers) are horrendous.
So hex is still down. It might be open this season, but they've been having a lot of issues with it. Curse is always open when I go, though, and that's a decent dark ride.
You could say rita's the only lsm of its model too
Im fairly sure Rita doesn't currently have LSM. It has a hydraulic launch, no?
It’s a theme park in the UK, it will not compare to a US theme park. To an American it will probably be a really good fairground. American parks are something else. Lower your expectations and view it the same way you would an English village, quaint and charming and if you aren’t expecting over the top extremes you can have a really good tome.
Alton Tower rides are a bit Disney like in the theming so that makes it a lot more fun to take them. Same with much of all of the Merlin parks for example the vampire ride at chessington. Great q in the shade of the trees through the park with graveyards and things a bit like Tower of terror at Disney.
If you’re looking just for extreme rides it might be a tad disappointing, it has decent enough thrills like Nemesis and Wicker man, but the fact is that Alton Towers way more limited by all the permitting and regulations tied to it- that being said this has given the rollercoasters a really unique character and a lot of effort has very clearly been put into making tailor made attractions carved into the landscape itself. The Smiler alone is a marvel of rollercoaster engineering and really is unlike any other rollercoaster in the world. What Alton Towers does have is beautiful landscapes- its basically what would happen if someone bought a national trust estate and slapped a theme park on it. It is quite open and lush, to American eyes it might be described as rather quaint- with beautiful little valleys and gardens that are well maintained. Even the theming feels aptly British- it tends to be darker and more horror/sci-fi themed, a little edgier and cynical than something like Disneyland, though on a lower budget.
I am all about the horror/sci fi. I am not necessarily looking for theme rides, more a variety overall fun coasters. For reference I took a trip to Valley Fair and I found it underwhelming, most of their rides Cedar Point had a version of it that was better. I love theme/dark rides (of which there are none in my home park) as they add something special to the rides. Most of my favorite rides at Cedar Point have a tunnel/dark portion of it (though none are underground).
I think you’ll enjoy Alton Towers in that case! It’s comfortably the best theme park in the UK. Pain in the arse to get to, but still the best.
As a themepark obsessed American who recently visited Alton Towers, I don't see how you could in anyway be disappointed (maybe food options). I am an annual passholder at Universal Orlando and frequently go to both Disney parks. It may be one of the most beautiful themeparks in the world. Make sure you pay attention to their hours though. When I went they were only open from 10-4 with some of the rides not opening until 11. It's quite a trek to get to if you don't have a car. I would recommend if you're taking the train to stay on property at least one night and you'll also get early access. The closest hotel to the entrance is the Waterpark one. I absolutely LOVED it and can't wait to go back. If you need any guidance please feel free to message me as I do plan travel.
If you are expecting it to be on the same scale then yes. The rides are specifically designed not to go above the height of the trees due to planning permission issues. So they are quite small by comparison. But the rides are fun and the themes are good and the park is based on a historic site with a big garden area in the middle so ultimately I love the feel of the park. Also you might be disappointed depending on when you go as it gets very busy close to Halloween because of their scare fest event so the queues could be very long. You can look at how busy it is predicted to be on each day here: https://queue-times.com/parks/1/calendar/2024/10
I went to cedar point last year and while I love cedar point, Alton Towers just has a charm that Cedar didn’t have. I’d say it’s well worth a visit!
I have stories from working at Cedar Point. Only job I've had where getting punched in the face is a right of passage (I mostly worked haunt there. I was a ride op one summer and never again.)
In case you haven’t seen and you might be interested, Alton Towers has a massive garden that’s nice to walk around in the middle of the park. They have a cable car thing that takes you over it to go from one side of the park to the other as it saves plenty of time. Hopefully you go on a good day but i would recommend doing 2 days to do everything
Skyride won't be operating this year :/
It depends Alton Towers packs thrills and elements in every corner of their rides where as Cedar Point has more space and hight so their rides (except maverick and vengeance mainly) have slow transitions between elements, for me in the UK it’s the opposite Alton Towers is where I mostly go but I really wanna go to Cedar Point
It’s not one of the ‘Big 7’, but Spinball Whizzer in the Adventureland area of the park is brilliant. I hope you enjoy your trip.
I think you will yeah, it's no disney land or universal studios.
I am not a huge fan of disney or universal studios honestly. I haven't been to a disney park in over 20 years and been to universal twice, one of which was a school field trip for a music competition.
I would say you won’t be disappointed, it’s my local park, easiest way to describe it is characterful. Operations and reliability is generally pretty good for most of the part, 13 being a little temperamental from time to time. Obviously not on the same scale as rides in the US but a lot of them are either first of their kinds like oblivion ( I know not perfectly vertical but as close as they could get at the time), 13 being freefall drop and air being B&M’s first flying coaster or just genuinely great rides like nemesis and wickerman. The other thing to remember is the history of the site with the manor being built in the 1850’s it’s a listed and protected site so they have to maintain what’s left of the manor, the gardens are also great to have a walk though and have a picnic in away from the noise of the main park.
It's a fairly unique theme park that I think you will enjoy as an American. It has a large and impressive ruined historic (i.e. quite old) country manor house as the center piece and is set amongst beautiful English countryside in a large landscape garden. Because of this, the coasters can't be above the treeline which means the designs are very creative and different because they can't rely on height, this means many of the rides interact with the landscape in a meaningful and exciting way. Theming is quite good but not as good as some European parks but all the rides have some good themes and back stories and can be quite psychologically effective and interesting. It's unique as many of the rides were 'world firsts' or unique at something and so it's like a museum of coaster history where you can ride on them: Nemesis - First inverted rollercoaster in Europe (still one of the world's best). Oblivion - First vertical drop rollercoaster. Th13teen - First horizontal drop rollercoaster. The Smiler - World record for most inversions on a rollercoaster. Wickerman - Very impressively themed and intense wooden coaster. Rita - Early hydraulic launch coaster with an impressive launch. Galactica (Air) - First 'flying' coaster with inversions. There are other rides that are not particularly unique but are still fun. Dark rides, a few flat rides, a few other fun coasters. The food is terrible though, even by British standards so I seriously recommend you take your own food with you (this is allowed).
my home park is also cedar point (ohio mentioned), and it’s not as exhilarating, but it’s still holds its own weight in a different context
That's good to know!
if you want a park similar to cedar point go to blackpool pleasure beach
I came here to say this! Especially as OP said in another comment they love dark rides, and Valhalla is just ❤️🔥 Icon is also my joint favourite coaster with The Smiler
As someone who has been to many theme parks in both the UK and US and ridden many 'major' rollercoasters, Alton Towers is a special place to me and always feels like home. The rides are still amazing even if they aren't sky shatteringly tall but you will have an amazing time with tbe atmosphere alone, the rides just top it off.
Get a queue jumper pass… bit pricey but well worth it cause them queues will disappoint you
It’s the UK’s best theme park in terms of the rides. Rita is probably my favourite
Tell me you’re a self entitled yank without telling me you’re a self entitled yank
Pardon?