After a couple days in Blackpool we decided to head back to Alton Towers on the Monday. So here’s our thoughts on the visit and a little run down on how we find the new measures worked! Let us know how you found your visit too (if you’ve visited that is!)
We just want to begin with expressing our appreciation for the efforts & hard work the staff & Park have gone through to ensure guest/staff safety. The staff were outstanding and extremely welcoming as always! It all ran very smoothly in our opinion! So massive shout out to everyone who’s helped make these days out possible again, we truly admire your hard work during these rather odd times still.
Parking:
Parking was very similar to how it worked for anyone who visited The Garden days. Except for you now park in the main car park again. The monorail is currently unavailable meaning you have to walk to the park entrance. I personally dislike this walk a lot but that’s just me haha. Again there’s spaces between the cars which is helpful to avoid coming in contact with the cars party besides you!
Entry:
Just like the gardens it was very simple getting into the park. You were given a number which you followed into the security tent for bag & temp checks. Then you show the staff member your pre book ticket and if your annual passholder they scan your passes for entry.
Ride Access Pass:
Ride Access Pass is still available to guest who require it & it works the same way as before. But some queues have been changed in order to help obtain social distancing. However fast track is not available.
Rides / Queues / Ride Availability:
I’ll begin with ride availability I’m sure many will know already but Dark Forest is currently closed. As are the dark rides too. All of which did not impact our day too much admittedly we miss Thirteen but we still had a good day nonetheless. Queues were bearable and moved comfortably too. The rides we experienced seemed to operate at full capacity which definitely helped.
We managed to get on Wickerman which the staff were fab on. They ensure all guest used the hand sanitisers prior to getting into the carriage. The pre showroom has been used as part of the queue but the projection mapping remained on. The baggage hold worked exactly the same as it does on any normal day too.
Nemesis again the staff were outstanding and very fast as always! They offload the trains the two furtherest rows away from each other. This definitely helped avoid a mass gathering of the train as every row was filled. The other ride we managed to get on was the Rapids. Again they were fab and had no queue at all.
Whenever a ride went out of operation for cleaning the staff always ensured the queue line was informed as to what was happening.
Social Distancing:
Wherever a queue is expected to gather there’s markings. Again we found the majority of people followed these rules but some others did struggle too. But whenever a staff member saw a group not standing 2m from the group in front or behind they did remind them which definitely helped! But otherwise all signs were clear and easy to follow!
Overall:
We found the changes really worked well for Alton Towers. It was very easy to understand and follow. All staff members handled the situation beautifully and the rides were knocking trains out as if things were normal! The queues always seemed to move except for when the enhanced cleaning happened but that’s expected and comforting to see anyway. We had an incredible half a day on park & cant wait to visit again for a full day!
Have you visited Alton Towers yet? If so what were your thoughts on the changes?
Thank you for reading..