Alton Towers dissapointment!

pardie

Hello! We went to Alton Towers last Wednesday and it was shocking!

The app said 15 mins for Oblivion, it actually ended up being 90 mins. The queue for Rita was worse, 2 hours. Got to the front, the ride was shut down as someone got their phone out (not AT fault but they let the girls off laughing instead of ejecting them from the park as policy states!). No fast track offered or anything like that even though we were at the front of the queue. Ended up waiting another 45 mins.

Overall we spent the whole day there from 10am - 6pm and only managed to get on 2 rollercoasters, the rapids and battle galleons. Spending over £150 for a family of 5 this feels like madness.

Has anyone had any luck getting their ticket fee refunded in a situation like this?

Rides were on and off closed throughout the day too, but we wouldn't have stood a chance getting on them anyway with the wait times 🤣

MattMattMattUK

pardie said:

Hello! We went to Alton Towers last Wednesday and it was shocking!

The app said 15 mins for Oblivion, it actually ended up being 90 mins. The queue for Rita was worse, 2 hours. Got to the front, the ride was shut down as someone got their phone out (not AT fault but they let the girls off laughing instead of ejecting them from the park as policy states!). No fast track offered or anything like that even though we were at the front of the queue. Ended up waiting another 45 mins.

Overall we spent the whole day there from 10am - 6pm and only managed to get on 2 rollercoasters, the rapids and battle galleons. Spending over £150 for a family of 5 this feels like madness.

Has anyone had any luck getting their ticket fee refunded in a situation like this?

Rides were on and off closed throughout the day too, but we wouldn't have stood a chance getting on them anyway with the wait times 🤣

I would imagine your chances are somewhere between zero and none. Theme parks get busy at peak times, the app times are irrelevant. 

You were disappointed in your visit, but probably had unrealistic expectations of queue times, chalk it up to experience. 

pardie

MattMattMattUK said:

pardie said:

Hello! We went to Alton Towers last Wednesday and it was shocking!

The app said 15 mins for Oblivion, it actually ended up being 90 mins. The queue for Rita was worse, 2 hours. Got to the front, the ride was shut down as someone got their phone out (not AT fault but they let the girls off laughing instead of ejecting them from the park as policy states!). No fast track offered or anything like that even though we were at the front of the queue. Ended up waiting another 45 mins.

Overall we spent the whole day there from 10am - 6pm and only managed to get on 2 rollercoasters, the rapids and battle galleons. Spending over £150 for a family of 5 this feels like madness.

Has anyone had any luck getting their ticket fee refunded in a situation like this?

Rides were on and off closed throughout the day too, but we wouldn't have stood a chance getting on them anyway with the wait times 🤣

I would imagine your chances are somewhere between zero and none. Theme parks get busy at peak times, the app times are irrelevant. 

You were disappointed in your visit, but probably had unrealistic expectations of queue times, chalk it up to experience. 

Thanks for your comment but I actually go at least once a year and have never experienced it to be like this before. 

LightFlare

We stopped going a few years ago.

It doesn’t feel like very good value for money now

All you can do is vote with your feet

marcia_

Pretty standard wait times for there in our experience 

MattMattMattUK

pardie said:

MattMattMattUK said:

pardie said:

Hello! We went to Alton Towers last Wednesday and it was shocking!

The app said 15 mins for Oblivion, it actually ended up being 90 mins. The queue for Rita was worse, 2 hours. Got to the front, the ride was shut down as someone got their phone out (not AT fault but they let the girls off laughing instead of ejecting them from the park as policy states!). No fast track offered or anything like that even though we were at the front of the queue. Ended up waiting another 45 mins.

Overall we spent the whole day there from 10am - 6pm and only managed to get on 2 rollercoasters, the rapids and battle galleons. Spending over £150 for a family of 5 this feels like madness.

Has anyone had any luck getting their ticket fee refunded in a situation like this?

Rides were on and off closed throughout the day too, but we wouldn't have stood a chance getting on them anyway with the wait times 🤣

I would imagine your chances are somewhere between zero and none. Theme parks get busy at peak times, the app times are irrelevant. 

You were disappointed in your visit, but probably had unrealistic expectations of queue times, chalk it up to experience. 

Thanks for your comment but I actually go at least once a year and have never experienced it to be like this before. 

I have been at peak times and experienced what you describe, which is why I would not go again at a peak time, or at the very least temper my expectations. I would no go off peak, if I were taking my nieces and nephews I would go on an inset day rather than during the school holidays as I recognise the issues.

pardie

MattMattMattUK said:

pardie said:

MattMattMattUK said:

pardie said:

Hello! We went to Alton Towers last Wednesday and it was shocking!

The app said 15 mins for Oblivion, it actually ended up being 90 mins. The queue for Rita was worse, 2 hours. Got to the front, the ride was shut down as someone got their phone out (not AT fault but they let the girls off laughing instead of ejecting them from the park as policy states!). No fast track offered or anything like that even though we were at the front of the queue. Ended up waiting another 45 mins.

Overall we spent the whole day there from 10am - 6pm and only managed to get on 2 rollercoasters, the rapids and battle galleons. Spending over £150 for a family of 5 this feels like madness.

Has anyone had any luck getting their ticket fee refunded in a situation like this?

Rides were on and off closed throughout the day too, but we wouldn't have stood a chance getting on them anyway with the wait times 🤣

I would imagine your chances are somewhere between zero and none. Theme parks get busy at peak times, the app times are irrelevant. 

You were disappointed in your visit, but probably had unrealistic expectations of queue times, chalk it up to experience. 

Thanks for your comment but I actually go at least once a year and have never experienced it to be like this before. 

I have been at peak times and experienced what you describe, which is why I would not go again at a peak time, or at the very least temper my expectations. I would no go off peak, if I were taking my nieces and nephews I would go on an inset day rather than during the school holidays as I recognise the issues.

I don't believe we went at a peak time, being a Wednesday during school term time.

emiai

Maybe raise a complaint? If they don't get told about these things they will just carry on like the service is sufficient. 

ChasingtheWelshdream

You may have actually been in peak time due to school end-of-term trips. We’ve been to a couple of theme parks times during July inset days thinking they would be quiet, when actually they have been far busier than usual, with several coaches arriving. 

We’ve just come back from Alton Towers at weekend and didn’t have to queue for more than 30 minutes for anything. 

daveyjp

17th July is school holidays for many children (Scotland schools, private schools and all exams have finished so 16 and 18 years olds aren't at school) and as its last week of school for English and Welsh schools its a popular day out for school trips.  

Luckyace1

You're absolutely right! July 17th falls right in the middle of the school holiday season for many, making it a prime time for family outings and school trips. With Scottish schools already on break and many private schools and post-exam students free, it's no surprise that attractions and destinations are busier than usual.

It’s also the last week of school for many in England and Wales, which means there are plenty of organized school trips happening as well. So if you're planning anything for that date, it’s definitely something to keep in mind – expect larger crowds and possibly longer wait times at popular spots!