Alton Towers | Wicker Man | GCI Wood
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chainedbanana
Hyper Poster
Will be attempting a trip on Monday - send prayers!
GuyWithAStick
Captain Basic
I don't have complete confirmation on this so don't quote me, but I've heard rumors that the reason it's been going down so much is because it's overshooting the first set of brakes. Apparently, this was originally designed to only run two trains, but Merlin insisted on running 3, so the first set of brakes(which was normally meant to be overshot) was hastily made to handle a third train.
Again, no confirmation on this, so take this with a grain of salt.
Again, no confirmation on this, so take this with a grain of salt.
CrashCoaster
CF Legend
Well how hard would it be to add some more brakes, or move the brakes further down the track?
JoshC.
Strata Poster
Pretty hard if the layout has already been finalized I'd imagine. Moving brakes could mean they've got more work to do, adding more might not be feasible, etc.
I too have heard it's overshooting on brakes and in the station. I imagine the cold and wet weather hasn't helped with that. I have heard that Merlin / Towers always wanted three trains though, so it would seem strange for them to agree / comission a ride that's only designed for two.
Stranger things have happened though I guess..
Lofty
CF Legend
I sort of don't buy that theory? If Merlin insisted on running three trains, the ride would've been designed with that in mind. That type of decision is not made further down the line, it's one of the most primary objectives you'd give in a brief as the TRPH comes into account from Day 1.
Howie
Donkey in a hat
Wicker Dude, then.
I'll try not to let the operations get in the way toooo much of my thoughts on the actual ride, but honestly that might be tricky. In total, we spent the best part of 5 hours queueing for Wicker Dude yesterday (split over 2 sessions) and only got 1 lap.
For the record, it was running 3 trains... but you'd never tell. Dispatches were few and far between, with 3 out of every 5 trains going round empty. I'm not even joking - 2 trains with people on, E-stop, 3 trains without. That's what it was like all morning, until it packed up completely at about lunchtime. Exit passes all round, then.
When it did get going again, it was running with rows 8, 9, 10 and 11 roped off for all 3 trains. Brilliant, that's capacity down by another third, and several thousand angry exit pass holders to cater for, as well as the normal queue and the surprisingly huge disabled queue (with remarkarbly few disabled people in it).
I don't want to sound 'disablist', but when every spastic in town decides to bring 18 members of their family to a theme park with them, maybe parks should start limiting the number of 'carers' that each disabled person has accompanying them on the rides? Controversial I know (and also grossly off topic), but someone has to say these things. Can't help thinking I witnessed an awful lot of piss-taking yesterday.
Carers my arse. Freeloaders, more like.
Anyway, back on topic; Wicker Dude (and yes, I am 100% gonna keep on calling it Wicker Dude until the name sticks).
It's actually pretty good.
In many ways it's probably the best coaster Alton Towers have added in 20 years.
In a couple of other ways though, it's just like all the other Merlin turds, but overall I think most people will be 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the good stuff.
It's a really nice looking ride, and even though wooden coasters have been around for 100 years, this actually looks, sounds, rides and even smells like something new, something different (for Alton).
The ride area and queueline are nicely themed. The soundtrack is creepy and effective. The Wicker Dude statue looks impressive, shrouded in mist and smoke.
Aesthetically at least, the whole package is a definite win.
I quite liked the pre-show - simple, effective and to-the-point, and the loading station is very nicely decorated and lit.
So far so good.
The ride experience then; well, that's actually pretty good too. The first run at the Wicker Dude, from the top of the lift hill down to the statue is excellent. Fast and twisty, with some funky little pops of airtime on the way. The second pass through the Wicker Dude is also lots of fun, speed and excitement are maintained well here, but then we head up to Boring Corner which, as many people have already mentioned, is a bit boring. One reviewer said that this corner provides a bit of a 'breather', a moment to recuperate, but I'm not buying into that. So far we've only had 20 seconds of moderate thrill, a breather is definitely not needed. I just think it's a poorly thought out piece of design, but that's ok because we soon pick up speed again and drop down a hill for the third and final pass through the Wicker Dude, which is good fun.
Then it's an S-bend into the brake run and Boom, job done.
Man, this is one seriously short ride. It's just waaaaay too short. What there is, is pretty good, but there's simply not enough of it.
I'm not an idiot, I don't expect Alton Towers to pull an El Toro out of their ass, but I can't get my head round why they purposely chose to make it so small.
The concept, the hype, the theme, the gigantic flaming effigy, the soundtrack - all of these things deserve a bigger, longer, more substantial ride to go with it.
A tiny bit more height, a slightly larger ride area (having a section pass over the Rapids ride was a missed opportunity) and another 1000ft of track length and this could have been a contender for best woodie in Europe.
As it stands though, it's just the best woodie in Staffordshire.
Overall though, I think most of you will like it, and if the crowds this weekend are anything to go by, Joe Public is gonna lose his sh*t!
Wardley was probably right - Wicker Dude is gonna reintroduce wooden coasters to the British GP in a way that's going to leave them wanting more, which can only be a good thing.
I'm gonna give it 7 out of 10. Yeah... I liked it.
I don't think it was anything to do with the brakes, the brakes worked fine and I didn't see any trains overshooting anything (and I had a good 5 hours viewing time!). Seemed like more of a restraint problem to me, I overheard several station announcements requesting that ride ops recheck restraints, followed by empty trains being sent round.
In the afternoon, with rows 8 - 11 roped off, the ride certainly didn't E-stop as much as it had been in the morning.
I'll try not to let the operations get in the way toooo much of my thoughts on the actual ride, but honestly that might be tricky. In total, we spent the best part of 5 hours queueing for Wicker Dude yesterday (split over 2 sessions) and only got 1 lap.
For the record, it was running 3 trains... but you'd never tell. Dispatches were few and far between, with 3 out of every 5 trains going round empty. I'm not even joking - 2 trains with people on, E-stop, 3 trains without. That's what it was like all morning, until it packed up completely at about lunchtime. Exit passes all round, then.
When it did get going again, it was running with rows 8, 9, 10 and 11 roped off for all 3 trains. Brilliant, that's capacity down by another third, and several thousand angry exit pass holders to cater for, as well as the normal queue and the surprisingly huge disabled queue (with remarkarbly few disabled people in it).
I don't want to sound 'disablist', but when every spastic in town decides to bring 18 members of their family to a theme park with them, maybe parks should start limiting the number of 'carers' that each disabled person has accompanying them on the rides? Controversial I know (and also grossly off topic), but someone has to say these things. Can't help thinking I witnessed an awful lot of piss-taking yesterday.
Carers my arse. Freeloaders, more like.
Anyway, back on topic; Wicker Dude (and yes, I am 100% gonna keep on calling it Wicker Dude until the name sticks).
It's actually pretty good.
In many ways it's probably the best coaster Alton Towers have added in 20 years.
In a couple of other ways though, it's just like all the other Merlin turds, but overall I think most people will be 'oohing' and 'aahing' over the good stuff.
It's a really nice looking ride, and even though wooden coasters have been around for 100 years, this actually looks, sounds, rides and even smells like something new, something different (for Alton).
The ride area and queueline are nicely themed. The soundtrack is creepy and effective. The Wicker Dude statue looks impressive, shrouded in mist and smoke.
Aesthetically at least, the whole package is a definite win.
I quite liked the pre-show - simple, effective and to-the-point, and the loading station is very nicely decorated and lit.
So far so good.
The ride experience then; well, that's actually pretty good too. The first run at the Wicker Dude, from the top of the lift hill down to the statue is excellent. Fast and twisty, with some funky little pops of airtime on the way. The second pass through the Wicker Dude is also lots of fun, speed and excitement are maintained well here, but then we head up to Boring Corner which, as many people have already mentioned, is a bit boring. One reviewer said that this corner provides a bit of a 'breather', a moment to recuperate, but I'm not buying into that. So far we've only had 20 seconds of moderate thrill, a breather is definitely not needed. I just think it's a poorly thought out piece of design, but that's ok because we soon pick up speed again and drop down a hill for the third and final pass through the Wicker Dude, which is good fun.
Then it's an S-bend into the brake run and Boom, job done.
Man, this is one seriously short ride. It's just waaaaay too short. What there is, is pretty good, but there's simply not enough of it.
I'm not an idiot, I don't expect Alton Towers to pull an El Toro out of their ass, but I can't get my head round why they purposely chose to make it so small.
The concept, the hype, the theme, the gigantic flaming effigy, the soundtrack - all of these things deserve a bigger, longer, more substantial ride to go with it.
A tiny bit more height, a slightly larger ride area (having a section pass over the Rapids ride was a missed opportunity) and another 1000ft of track length and this could have been a contender for best woodie in Europe.
As it stands though, it's just the best woodie in Staffordshire.
Overall though, I think most of you will like it, and if the crowds this weekend are anything to go by, Joe Public is gonna lose his sh*t!
Wardley was probably right - Wicker Dude is gonna reintroduce wooden coasters to the British GP in a way that's going to leave them wanting more, which can only be a good thing.
I'm gonna give it 7 out of 10. Yeah... I liked it.
I don't think it was anything to do with the brakes, the brakes worked fine and I didn't see any trains overshooting anything (and I had a good 5 hours viewing time!). Seemed like more of a restraint problem to me, I overheard several station announcements requesting that ride ops recheck restraints, followed by empty trains being sent round.
In the afternoon, with rows 8 - 11 roped off, the ride certainly didn't E-stop as much as it had been in the morning.
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Mushroom
Goon of the Year
Regarding the 'disabled queue'. Alton and Merlin have been trying to crack down the people using RAP (Ride Access Pass). It has got a lot stricter in regards who can have it.
The max people can have as carers with them is 3. There was a rumour that Wicker would only allow 1 carer with them.
Regarding RAP, they are still technically queuing the length of the queue, so if the queue is 2 hours, they have to wait 2 hours before they go on another big ride like Nemesis, Smiler etc. It is a good system for people that need it, but has been abused a lot.
Sent from my FRD-L09 using Tapatalk
The max people can have as carers with them is 3. There was a rumour that Wicker would only allow 1 carer with them.
Regarding RAP, they are still technically queuing the length of the queue, so if the queue is 2 hours, they have to wait 2 hours before they go on another big ride like Nemesis, Smiler etc. It is a good system for people that need it, but has been abused a lot.
Sent from my FRD-L09 using Tapatalk
Robbie
Hyper Poster
**** off. How do you know who was disabled and who was not? Are they supposed to wear a badge, perhaps a bright letter, or a hat? Given the number of qualifications Alton requires carers to have it's barely freeloading, in fact when you've taken GP letters into account it's cheaper just to get 2-for-1s or online advance tickets. The number of carers are restricted, but AT does require a minimum of one, which is reasonable. Fair enough they should have a maximum too but to blame disabled for the long waits on a new ride that clearly hasn't sorted operations is a dick move and you need to get your head and language in check.
Howie
Donkey in a hat
That is literally all I suggested.
I didn't blame the disabled for anything, I merely posed a hypothesis based on real life observations. If the system is going to be abused, then maybe parks should limit the number of carers per rider.
I thought I made it perfectly clear in my post that technical issues were to blame for the long waits.
I don't, I'm well aware that many disabilities are invisible. However, the purpose of the Ride Access Pass, as the name suggests, is for people with 'access' or mobility issues, which generally speaking are very visible indeed. If the RAP was intended to cover the whole spectrum of disabilities, then every kid with mild ADHD would be using it.
??
'Spastic' - person who suffers from 'Spasticity', altered skeletal muscle performance often resulting in paralysis and/or increased tendon reflex activity. In other words, someone with access or mobility issues.
Granted, the word has been kinda hijacked and is generally used as a derogatory term these days and in hindsight, perhaps I should have picked something else, so I'll give you that one @Robbie . If it offended you (or anybody else) then I apologise.
But I'm standing by the rest of my post.
CrashCoaster
CF Legend
So I've just had my first ride on the Wicker Man (Front Row)... And OMG. My Number 3 coaster after Shambhala and the Swarm. Absolutely spectacular.
Crazycoaster
Giga Poster
Really? I mean it’s okay, I left feeling a bit underwhelmed by the first half, I was hoping there would be a bit more airtime over that first hill. Granted I only rode on the front row, so it’s probably a bit tamer compared to the back, but still.
It felt like it was lacking something, I’ve ridden a number of GCI’s, and they’ve always felt really out of control and crazy, but Wicker Man just didn’t do enough to ever get that feeling of craziness. I definitely need to reride again, in other rows, without being stapled in to an inch of my life, but operations meant I only got the one ride in (Honestly, Alton Towers was a complete and utter shambles today, apparently none of the staff know how to operate rides, but that’s another story).
Now taking the actual ride out of the equation, I’m actually pretty impressed with what they have created here. It’s got a great atmosphere, and when the mist billows out from the predrop tunnel later in the afternoon, the area actually looks really fantastic. The preshow is cool (although the random room before seems a bit of a wasted space?) and the interior theming of the buildings are WAY above par for a Merlin ride.
But I do still have a few niggles with Merlin’s ability to properly finish a ride:
- no effort has been made to finish up the ground work at all. Wicker Man sits in a building site piled with mud, they’ve made some effort to plant lots of small ferns (then the snow happened last weekend, and they’ve all died), but they should be planting trees surely? Something to add variety to the colour of the area (wood everywhere).
- The timber used to make the majority of the fences still has all the manufacturing writing on, in big letters, which kinda spoils the illusion. Jeez guys, sand it off lol.
- The TV “fires” inside the wicker man have had no effort made to conseal the fact that they’re TVs. You can see the edges of them all. Not the super impressive fire effects they were hyping up.
In all it’s a decent effort from AT. Like Ian said, it’s become one of the few rides I’d need to ride at the park for me to be satisfied with my visit, just lacking a tad to make it a world class ride.
It felt like it was lacking something, I’ve ridden a number of GCI’s, and they’ve always felt really out of control and crazy, but Wicker Man just didn’t do enough to ever get that feeling of craziness. I definitely need to reride again, in other rows, without being stapled in to an inch of my life, but operations meant I only got the one ride in (Honestly, Alton Towers was a complete and utter shambles today, apparently none of the staff know how to operate rides, but that’s another story).
Now taking the actual ride out of the equation, I’m actually pretty impressed with what they have created here. It’s got a great atmosphere, and when the mist billows out from the predrop tunnel later in the afternoon, the area actually looks really fantastic. The preshow is cool (although the random room before seems a bit of a wasted space?) and the interior theming of the buildings are WAY above par for a Merlin ride.
But I do still have a few niggles with Merlin’s ability to properly finish a ride:
- no effort has been made to finish up the ground work at all. Wicker Man sits in a building site piled with mud, they’ve made some effort to plant lots of small ferns (then the snow happened last weekend, and they’ve all died), but they should be planting trees surely? Something to add variety to the colour of the area (wood everywhere).
- The timber used to make the majority of the fences still has all the manufacturing writing on, in big letters, which kinda spoils the illusion. Jeez guys, sand it off lol.
- The TV “fires” inside the wicker man have had no effort made to conseal the fact that they’re TVs. You can see the edges of them all. Not the super impressive fire effects they were hyping up.
In all it’s a decent effort from AT. Like Ian said, it’s become one of the few rides I’d need to ride at the park for me to be satisfied with my visit, just lacking a tad to make it a world class ride.
Matt N
CF Legend
I managed to ride Wicker Man today. If you want a long, in-depth review, I have one here (http://coasterforce.com/forums/threads/alton-towers-24th-25th-march-2018.42386/#post-1018996). But in short; fantastic wooden coaster, superb overall experience. My personal favourite experience coaster in the UK.
CrashCoaster
CF Legend
^I'll try and ride it a couple of times tomorrow, hopefully at the back at least once (I'm a hotel guest so I have ERT(If they decide to open it that is)). If I remember (or can be bothered), I'll post a full review of the ride from my point of view.
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