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Yes, sorry. It's a good deal if you live near like Stoke, Stafford, Derby, Nottingham etc...
Alton Towers - Wicker Man
- Thread starter Nitefly
- Start date
Yes, sorry. It's a good deal if you live near like Stoke, Stafford, Derby, Nottingham etc...
That reason being cost.
Associate
Alton has needed a wooden coaster for years so about time, however it doesn't seem to match up to some of the great wooden coasters there are available currently around the world. If you want to ride a potential world class coaster in the UK then you want to go up the road to Blackpool this year and ride Icon.
Soldato
Haven't been for a few years but this gives a good reason to go again.
A mini-necro to say I rode this yesterday and I'm pleased to report that it was really good fun. Being a woody it felt more 'out of control' than any other ride at the park and, whilst I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying I was jerked out of my seat, the drops were satisfying and there were many squeaks and screams from my fellow passengers. Overall a good addition to the park and better (and more thrilling) than I expected. Cool pre-show too.
Some minor niggles
I'd place Wicker Man amongst my favourite rides at the park
Some minor niggles
- Half way around the track there is a slow and unbanked corner which is a little odd and unsatisfying.
- There are some low resolution screens within the Wicker Man structure that look rather naff - just get rid of them tbh.
- After the ride there you go through a shed which seems like there should be something that happens... but nope. Maybe they ran out of money!
I'd place Wicker Man amongst my favourite rides at the park
Soldato
At least ticket prices have come down.
My dad used to say that a visit to Alton Towers cost an arm and a leg. Now it seems, it’s just a leg.
My dad used to say that a visit to Alton Towers cost an arm and a leg. Now it seems, it’s just a leg.
Man of Honour
That punchline is a bit below the belt.
Soldato
To be fair, Alton Towers are limited to what they can create due to noise and height restrictions that are in place. Given these restrictions they make some really good rides, Nemesis was intentionally dug into the ground for this reason and was one of the best B&M coasters in the world for a long time.
I'd place Wicker Man amongst my favourite rides at the park
That's good to hear! Hopefully I'll be able to rope someone into coming with me this year so I can try it out.
Associate
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- 19 Dec 2016
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- 244
hospital..Certainly know what I'll be doing on 17th March
I think B&M have lost it a bit tbh, at least their rep in the UK. Coasters ‘going up-side down’ is no longer the big draw to enthusiasts as it’s been firmly established that going upside down does not necessarily make a coaster good and that many that don’t go upside down are far more fun than those that do. Classic B&Ms like Kumba just feel a little dated now.
Hyper & giga coasters are the kings and we are unlikely to ever see one of these in the UK due to height and cost. What we get are truncated and uninspiring rides from B&M in the UK. In fact, are there any other than Nemsis that are genuinely great? Thumbs up to oblivion and and air for originality and for Alton Towers for demanding world firsts but they now they are poor versions of rides elsewhere. Meanwhile, something like the Saw ride at Thorpe Park is far more interesting ride experience and less ‘doing the motions’ than something like, say, swarm or nemesis inferno.
My favourite coaster is a B&M (Shambhala - a hyper coaster), so it’s clearly a problem with budgets and planning rather than B&M. I suppose I’m just saying that Nemsis being legendary no longer grants them a free pass on everything else, especially in the UK.
Hyper & giga coasters are the kings and we are unlikely to ever see one of these in the UK due to height and cost. What we get are truncated and uninspiring rides from B&M in the UK. In fact, are there any other than Nemsis that are genuinely great? Thumbs up to oblivion and and air for originality and for Alton Towers for demanding world firsts but they now they are poor versions of rides elsewhere. Meanwhile, something like the Saw ride at Thorpe Park is far more interesting ride experience and less ‘doing the motions’ than something like, say, swarm or nemesis inferno.
My favourite coaster is a B&M (Shambhala - a hyper coaster), so it’s clearly a problem with budgets and planning rather than B&M. I suppose I’m just saying that Nemsis being legendary no longer grants them a free pass on everything else, especially in the UK.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Nov 2007
- Posts
- 4,209
Nemesis is good i will give them that. Most of the others are just pale imitations of bigger and better versions of rides you would find elsewhere.
Soldato
- Joined
- 22 Nov 2007
- Posts
- 4,209
You said it yourself near the end. B M make great rides, not much they can do with Altons restrictions
That’s sort of true but Swarm and Nemesis Inferno are still a little underwhelming and are certainly not ‘special’.
We just need a copy of Steel Vengeance installed at Alton then I’ll be happy
Seriously considering flying to Ohio just to go on it. Looks utterly ridiculous.
Off to the cinema now but I’ll post my review of Walking Dead: The Ride later. Just, so so so so so bad!
Man of Honour
The NIMBYs at Alton ruin everything
Agreed, after riding Shambhala (8 times over 2 days I must admitt) as well as its little brother Dragon Khan, everything else in the UK kind of pales in comparison. We need bigger and faster coasters.
Associate
This wooden one looks cool. Seems small from the drone footage?
A mini-necro to say I rode this yesterday and I'm pleased to report that it was really good fun. Being a woody it felt more 'out of control' than any other ride at the park and, whilst I'm not sure I'd go as far as saying I was jerked out of my seat, the drops were satisfying and there were many squeaks and screams from my fellow passengers. Overall a good addition to the park and better (and more thrilling) than I expected. Cool pre-show too.
Some minor niggles
- Half way around the track there is a slow and unbanked corner which is a little odd and unsatisfying.
- There are some low resolution screens within the Wicker Man structure that look rather naff - just get rid of them tbh.
- After the ride there you go through a shed which seems like there should be something that happens... but nope. Maybe they ran out of money!
I'd place Wicker Man amongst my favourite rides at the park
What were your queue times like?
I went on it about 2.5 weeks ago, we had a 2 day ticket with ERA on the Monday. The Sunday had consistent queue times of at least 3 hours plus, so we never bothered attempting to queue. But Monday with early ride access we figured we'd at least be near the front of the queue. We were queuing behind i reckon 200 people 45 minutes before the park officially opened. They spent about an hour doing pre-ride checks and when they let the first batch of people on, the bloody thing broke down. Cue another 45 mins of checks before they started to let people on it again.
I think we'd queued for close to 2.5 hours before we were even able to get on, it kind of soured the experience a little bit. Frankly if they know the pre-ride checks take a while, then god knows why they're not starting them at 8am, so that extensive pre-ride checks are completed before the park even opens.
My advice for anyone going over the summer/warm months, if the queue times aren't any longer than the other coasters, then go for it. Otherwise you'll end up spending half your day queueing for a single coaster.
Soldato
When we went I was disappointed to find that you also can't buy fast track passes for just the Wicker Man, you need to buy the £50 gold one...
On the plus side, the rest of the park was dead so I got to literally walk straight on to Oblivion, and 5 mins queue for the smiler
On the plus side, the rest of the park was dead so I got to literally walk straight on to Oblivion, and 5 mins queue for the smiler