Mutiny Bay

[scotlandrulz]

Hey, was watching the TV and saw an advert advertising Mutiny Bay, and it now comes with sharks! (by Sealife)

I personally feel this is a good step for Alton, as it shows that they are more than just a thrill park, and that they do care about the younger generation.

discuss!

 

[Ian]

Erm, I think that Alton have been doing nothing but playing to the family/youngster market for the last few seasons! All of Mutiny Bay was revamped (which is what was needed anyway imo), new Dung Hill play area and no new mega-thrill rides. Even their new coaster looks to be more family than thrill.

 

[monkeyonatable]

Family is an important part of any theme park, but they also need to watch out for the thrill ride lovers too.

 

[Screaming Coasters]

^ Nah, families don't tend to spend as much as the teens do. It's proven in the industry. The only reason why Legoland is so successful is because of its association with Lego. Take away that, and it would be just another struggling family park.

 

[nadroJ]

I think at this moment in time Alton has a sufficient amount of thrill rides to keep thrill-seekers content plus they offer an extensive selection of family rides. Don't forget rides like The Flume not only cater for families but are also still extremely popular with a teen audience as well. Alton, in my opinion, caters for every type of guest extremely well and will continue to do so over the years.

Also, sharks in Mutiny Bay is a nice original touch to an already amazingly themed area of the park. I hope we can see the same sort of transformation for the land previously known as Ug Land. I have faith in Alton and am continually impressed by there efforts to please their guests.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

^ Nah, families don't tend to spend as much as the teens do. It's proven in the industry. The only reason why Legoland is so successful is because of its association with Lego. Take away that, and it would be just another struggling family park.

Surely families are more likely to spend MORE money than teens?

Mainly due to the large amount of generic merch that the parks sell, surely they would buy more of the cuddly toys and other smaller things that teens would never buy? And because most families go with more than one kid, means that more purchases are made...

Let alone sweets at the end of the day/snacks/lunch/photos/etc throughout the day...

Alton is the best example of a family park as it has something for everyone, including the teens... That's what a proper family park is... Not where rides are only set for younger ones... Legoland doesn't have thrill seeker rides, so is more a children's park than anything...

Family parks are really hard to classify in reality, and the line between family and different types of parks are often blurred... With American Adventure and Camelot both going down most on here seem to think that family parks are rubbish and generally will fail... This is arguable, but there are other parks which aren't run by major companies (Oakwood was one before it got bought out, Drayton is still family run to name 2), and they've managed to survive... I think it's more of a case of how the park's are run in regards to money... I don't think many more of the bigger UK parks will fold during this climate, Camelot and AA were failing long before this recession for one thing, and I don't think too many apart from the very poorly run parks will shut...

Tangent ftw...

 

[nadroJ]

Surely families are more likely to spend MORE money than teens?

I'm not arguing because families probably do spend more money at parks, but demographically teens are the group with the highest amount of disposable income. When you think about it, who do you always see walking around with the stupidly oversized cuddly toys and things. I think when teens don't have parents around to stop them spending their money on crap, they're going to.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

The big cuddly toys are possibly cheaper than the small ones though...

Because they're on the games and could possibly only cost £2/3 if you do it first time... Which some of them can :lol:

 

[furie]

On the teens Vs families thing. I think teens maybe do spend more money, it's just that they have less ability to actually get to a park, so unless it's somewhere like Thorpe, your catchment of the market if reduced.

Even taking picnics though, and having AP's, Family_Furie will still spend around £20 each visit to Alton Towers. It's not much (fiver per head), but we're seasoned veterans. You see most families spend quite a bit, as it's their "big day out" of the year.

Obviously somebody has cottoned on, as both Alton and Drayton Manor have had bumper years since turning more "family".

However, the parents still drive the visits, and especially at Alton, they demand to be entertained. If there's nothing new for them, they're not going to pay £36 year in and year out to take the kids on a rethemed Ugswinger. Sea Life is a great addition, it gives more 'value' to the day for a family, but 9 times out of 10, oneof the parents also demands rides for them to close the 'value' deal.

 

[lol]

The fact that there is no actual footage of the area being promoted bugs me to no end.