2015: Octonauts Rollercoaster Adventure

[TheMan]

I'll take your inverted Big Apple, and raise you a Vekoma SFC.

See, I think the SFC would be a perfect fit for towers. Or even the family Boomerang. Perhaps they're a little big for what they want this time around though.

If they just plonk of a piece of junk down with the "that will do" attitude, which is pretty highly likely, it'll be a big shame.

There's so many choices in the family market. Surely they realise that a key element will be throughput?

 

[Dave]

Throughput is the big issue with zamperla, I don't think kids will notice the difference between manufacturers.

 

[James]

All of CBeebies Land's attractions have low throughputs so I doubt a small coaster with a low throughput will hurt the area. Something that can get through a lot of guests would be better of course, but I doubt a low throughput coaster will put any strain on guests, the area or the new coaster itself.

 

[TheMan]

All of CBeebies Land's attractions have low throughputs so I doubt a small coaster with a low throughput will hurt the area. Something that can get through a lot of guests would be better of course, but I doubt a low throughput coaster will put any strain on guests, the area or the new coaster itself.

The queues for Postman Pat in the summer say otherwise.

I'm not a betting man usually, but I tell you what, if you fancy putting a few quid on the queue times for the only new attraction in CBeebies land and the only coaster on park properly capable of taking on really little ones then I'll open the bidding at 2 1/2 hours in the summer months.

 

[Dave]

All of CBeebies Land's attractions have low throughputs so I doubt a small coaster with a low throughput will hurt the area. Something that can get through a lot of guests would be better of course, but I doubt a low throughput coaster will put any strain on guests, the area or the new coaster itself.

The biggest criticism laid at CBeebies by guests is long queues. I would want a system that minimised that problem

 

[Danny]

Even in a packed out Magic Kingdom, I've never seen anyone queue that amount of time for Goofy's Barnstormer so I certainly can't see people queuing 2 1/2 hours regardless of what Towers install. An hour and a half at the most.

 

[Scott]

It'll probably be a cheap, small coaster. Much like Beastie was a cheap, small coaster. Not much else is needed.

All I hope for is that it is decently themed and seamlessly fits in with the existing CBeebies area. With the BBC behind it, there's no excuse for it not to be good quality.

 

[TheMan]

Even in a packed out Magic Kingdom, I've never seen anyone queue that amount of time for Goofy's Barnstormer so I certainly can't see people queuing 2 1/2 hours regardless of what Towers install. An hour and a half at the most.

Even in a .... Disney Park... with a ton of other stuff for kids that age to do?

Remember the Postman Pat queues?

As I say this will be the ONLY suitable coaster for all kids, then add in parents going on, faff loading and unloading, IF it's a zamp diabolical throughput etc.

CBeebies downfall at times was arguably it's popularity, it's a cracking little area, put in a roller coaster at peak times and I would astonished.... and impressed... if it didn't break the 2 hour mark.

 

[DiogoJ42]

with the BBC behind it, there's no excuse for it not to be good quality.

Would that be the same BBC that closed the world's greatest TV studio complex, and spunked billions of pounds of public money up the wall building an unnecessary and vastly inferior set of studios hundreds of miles away from the center of the UK entertainment industry?

[/not bitter, honest guv]

 

[Danny]

Even in a .... Disney Park... with a ton of other stuff for kids that age to do?

Remember the Postman Pat queues?

As I say this will be the ONLY suitable coaster for all kids, then add in parents going on, faff loading and unloading, IF it's a zamp diabolical throughput etc.

CBeebies downfall at times was arguably it's popularity, it's a cracking little area, put in a roller coaster at peak times and I would astonished.... and impressed... if it didn't break the 2 hour mark.

It's the signature attraction of its area, much like this will be for CBeebies Land. Yes, the draw will be there for it, but the effort that Towers invest into it is inevitably going to put the parents off taking their kids on it if the queue creeps over an hour and a half. If the coaster takes after Troublesome Trucks with its level of detail then fair enough, as it'd be an all rounder.

If Towers were to put a clone of Stampbanan into CBeebies Land for example, nobody in their right mind would queue 2 & 1/2 hours for it. That's more or less how this is going to end up.

 

[Scott]

Would that be the same BBC that closed the world's greatest TV studio complex, and spunked billions of pounds of public money up the wall building an unnecessary and vastly inferior set of studios hundreds of miles away from the center of the UK entertainment industry?

[/not bitter, honest guv]

Yes, but I'm talking their good power to make Merlin spend cash rather than their bad power to obliterate TVC

 

[Cheese]

I suppose parks can take one of two approaches to 'kiddie coasters'.

The first is that some sort of junior coaster is an absolute must, but not something worth spending much money on as it's just a box on the ride lineup that has to be ticked. If it turns out to be unrefined rubbish that elicits as many floods of tears as it does smiles from younger guests then that's fine.

The second approach is to think of the kids waiting in the queue for that coaster as your future recurring guests. Give a child a really good first coaster experience and they'll probably want to come back as soon as possible. They might also pester mum and dad to bring them back as they get older and grow to meet successive levels of height restriction. There will always be some kids that just don't enjoy the ride, but you want as many of them as possible to, and this might well justify the premium that has to be paid for good quality hardware. Heck, if you make a real effort your humble junior coaster could leave a lasting impression on generations of guests, possibly even being seen in the long run as an icon for the park.

Alton Towers should be taking the second approach and installing a well presented Vekoma, Gerstlauer or Zierer. My concern is that either the park or the money men ruling their budget will have the first attitude and opt for a Zamperla or equivalent tat (I'd like to imagine that Zamperla's newer products are a significant improvement on Flamingoland's horrid little Runaway Train, but even if they are I can't imagine they'll come close to the ride systems that Towers should be choosing from).

 

[pluk]

Would that be the same BBC that closed the world's greatest TV studio complex, and spunked billions of pounds of public money up the wall building an unnecessary and vastly inferior set of studios hundreds of miles away from the center of the UK entertainment industry?

[/not bitter, honest guv]

Because they were forced to by the government at the behest of their not at all close and personal friend Murdoch? I love the BBC, I hate what has been done to it.

Anyway, if this is to be a proper kiddie coaster, not a family coaster, I'd say it is one of the rare times that the hardware is secondary to the theming. Do I remember Space Station Zero so fondly because Flying Fish is actually any good? No, it's because I went into space!

 

[James]

To be fair from what I've heard BBC have been up Merlin's arse making sure they haven't cut any corners. They've been keeping a close eye on the development of the area and how the area operates.

I'm not a betting man usually, but I tell you what, if you fancy putting a few quid on the queue times for the only new attraction in CBeebies land and the only coaster on park properly capable of taking on really little ones then I'll open the bidding at 2 1/2 hours in the summer months.

You come out with some random things sometimes. I don't do bets but I think you'll be spot on with your 2 1/2 hour estimation. Those poor kids waiting for ages.

The biggest criticism laid at CBeebies by guests is long queues. I would want a system that minimised that problem

Generally from social media I saw mothers complaining about long queue times, and then saying they have booked a second visit just to finish the area off. I spoke to a few parents I know who had visited the park and done the same thing too. Bad customer experience obviously, but wonderful for AT/Merlin having all these families making second visits. So in their eyes they probably don't see the need to spend more on a coaster with a decent throughput. Even though they should be looking at something that can soak up crowds.

It's probably another case of Merlin not caring about customers, wanting a new attraction that is as cheap as possible and wanting a return that makes the numbers look impressive on paper.

 

[TheMan]

You come out with some random things sometimes. I don't do bets but I think you'll be spot on with your 2 1/2 hour estimation. Those poor kids waiting for ages.

Oh well, gets them prepared for The Smiler

All they need to do is install one of these to get them further prepared:

 

[jon81uk]

Would that be the same BBC that closed the world's greatest TV studio complex, and spunked billions of pounds of public money up the wall building an unnecessary and vastly inferior set of studios hundreds of miles away from the center of the UK entertainment industry?

[/not bitter, honest guv]

Except the most used studios at TV Centre are re-opening in 2018 after refurbishment. The rest weren't so needed as the nature of TV production has changed. Indoor studios aren't as needed as they used to be unless you need an audience. Doctor Who is filmed in a warehouse outside Cardiff, look at all the YouTubers filming pro quality on a DSLR camera. Most of the offices in TV Centre were old and outdated so they moved to Broadcasting House. Also by filming in Cardiff, Salford and Glasgow it spreads jobs and skills out across the country, TV is too London-centric already (and I live in London so would miss the free audience tickets if all TV moved!).

Yes TV Centre was an iconic building but times change, technology moves on and governments change funding levels all the time.

 

[DiogoJ42]

Dude... don't go there.

 

[Rob]

Generally from social media I saw mothers complaining about long queue times, and then saying they have booked a second visit just to finish the area off. I spoke to a few parents I know who had visited the park and done the same thing too. Bad customer experience obviously, but wonderful for AT/Merlin having all these families making second visits. So in their eyes they probably don't see the need to spend more on a coaster with a decent throughput. Even though they should be looking at something that can soak up crowds.

Interesting. It may seem good to Towers and Merlin in the short run but you can bet that the vast majority of these families who have had to make a return visit to finish off doing CBeebies Land will not be making a return visit in the following year(s).

For me throughput is key on a kids coaster in a very large family theme park. It will end up being the "star" attraction of the area, even if it does not have the most popular IP. Kids and parents alike are not going to be best pleased queuing well over an hour for a short half arsed kids coasters. It should be of a good length and utilise an imaginative layout.

 

[Martin]

Ooh, I see they've improved The Smiler's drainage for this year.

 

[Ted]

You would be insane not to get a coaster with a decent throughput on a kids coaster. Just look at most of the kids rides at Chessington with low throughputs which make the queues horrendous.

Unfortunately though, I just can't see it happening.