Snow Closing UK Parks

[Screaming Coasters]

If New York can get their **** together and running like normal during extreme weather, than so can we. Trouble is, our governments / corporate facilities are tight bastards and would rather save money than keep a promise.

As you can tell, I am an expert in this field and I know everything there is to know about these situations.... :?:

Just so I'm clear here - is this the same "new york" where coney island was closed all day on our visit last year due to "moderate rain"?

I assumed people could read sarcasm, hence the:

As you can tell, I am an expert in this field and I know everything there is to know about these situations....

Some people clearly can't spot somebody taking the piss, while others like to leach without thinking.

Typical :roll:

Personally, I couldn't give a monkeys if the parks are closed. Its obvious there is a risk and if parks decide to close - let them. Its better to be safe. If I had a visit planned though, I would be pissed...

To comment on the Coney Island thing - your "moderate rain" could have some high tailwinds, which are measured pretty much every second at a theme park. Especially being next to the sea, which in this case it is, then of course they would close rides. Its completely logical. I used to close rides down at Chessington because of wind and rain, its standard practise.

Disclaimer:
That last bit contained no sarcasm for those who are humorously-impaired.

 

[furie]

I think Pierre mentioned something in his early post which people have missed...

Should the parks actually be attempting to open so early in the year if they can't deal with adverse weather. It would even give Merlin an extra two or three weeks to get their **** together to finish their winter projects.

A lot of parks around the world are still closed at the moment, I just don't see the issue. Places like Blackpool are pretty lucky in that they don't seem to get the snow much (it's to do with being between the Lakes and the sea I think? ) so fine - but for the rest? Limited opening for the first three weeks as Alton did in Feb and Chessington do most of the winter. That way if you get bigger rides open it's a bonus - if not, as long as guests are well aware of limited attractions then you're still giving them the option.

Of course, it's different if the routes and roads to the park are dangerous (as I can imagine they are around a lot of Alton village and some of the routes over the moors) where you're asking your guests to risk their lives or being stranded. So maybe Alton should be very limited due to location :lol:

 

[Robbie]

It's the start of the Easter holidays in some areas - parks would be mad not to open up this week.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

They will if they can...

The snow in Stoke was pretty dreadful, was not surprised in the least to see Towers shut, not worth the hassle (and indeed, impossible to get to without involving some country road no matter the route)... Certainly not worth the risk to staff and guests...

Certainly a massive one off this weekend though, just up to the parks to get going on clearing up to a decent degree and hoping the temperatures increase enough to open stuff...

 

[furie]

It's the start of the Easter holidays in some areas - parks would be mad not to open up this week.

The problem is that Easter moves. This year it's much earlier than usual (though it's almost as early in 2015 too).

Next year, Easter is three weeks later so it makes sense to work on the basis that the weather will be "okay".

If they promised limited opening until, say first weekend in April, then they're giving themselves a little leeway and they cover every third or fourth Easter or something too, with the early ones still under "limited opening unless the weather is good".

This weather could easily hit this weekend too and close the parks again. Why not just assume that it's "possible" each year and get people into the idea that - even if Easter is early - parks are on a low opening status?

How many US parks are open at the moment? How many European ones running at full swing?

 

[caffeine_demon]

Some people clearly can't spot somebody taking the piss, while others like to leach without thinking.

maybe I should have read the second bit, but people do seem to make the assumption that the uk is the only country where this sort of thing might happen! (along with the fact some people seem to think the UK is the only country where it rains....)

To comment on the Coney Island thing - your "moderate rain" could have some high tailwinds, which are measured pretty much every second at a theme park. Especially being next to the sea, which in this case it is, then of course they would close rides. Its completely logical. I used to close rides down at Chessington because of wind and rain, its standard practise.

Disclaimer:
That last bit contained no sarcasm for those who are humorously-impaired.

closing rides in wind is understandable - turning away a group of customers at about midday when the weather isn't THAT bad, not even opening some of the small flat rides and dark rides isn't...

 

[Screaming Coasters]

^ Maybe they had staffing issues that day?
I remember having to stagger rides due to a lot of people being sick...

 

[FaceYourNemesis]

And people wonder why Alton decided against opening:

Taken on Farley Lane this evening.

 

[Nemesis Inferno]

Pfft, that's nothing, how dare they not bother clearing it up, always looking for the cheap way out Towers...

:roll:

 

[Robbie]

It's the start of the Easter holidays in some areas - parks would be mad not to open up this week.

The problem is that Easter moves. This year it's much earlier than usual (though it's almost as early in 2015 too).

Next year, Easter is three weeks later so it makes sense to work on the basis that the weather will be "okay".

If they promised limited opening until, say first weekend in April, then they're giving themselves a little leeway and they cover every third or fourth Easter or something too, with the early ones still under "limited opening unless the weather is good".

This weather could easily hit this weekend too and close the parks again. Why not just assume that it's "possible" each year and get people into the idea that - even if Easter is early - parks are on a low opening status?

The thing is, AT usually does open late March but presumably decided to be early this year because of the early Easter holidays. It may well have been that had the Easter holidays not started until 14th April (like next year) the park would only be opening this weekend or next. They've just been a bit unlucky.

 

[Idlewild]

You can't predict the weather well months in advance when the opening day is set. This time last year we had record temperatures 22 degrees centigrade.

 

[furie]

That's very true, but we tend to have milder Novembers than we do March - so it would make sense (if they are desperate for a 9 month season) to open later in the year (and then they can have shorter opening hours, or more night time riding ).

Robbie, I know what you're saying and I agree, it just seems that to try and "nab" the Easter crowds, they're putting themselves a little at the mercy of the elements AND giving themselves less closed season to sort things out (which they clearly need).

I guess that the Easter traffic is huge though, but it's got to be a risk. I may pop over this weekend and see what the crowds are like and if the previous closures have dented the gate figures*. I still think, even with the Easter break, it's too early in the year for a lot of families to be thinking about days out.


*Then if it's busy, on a bank holiday weekend, I'll OUTRAGE about it on the Alton Facebook page! I ONLY GOT ONTO TWO RIDES BECAUSE I HAD TO SPEND SIX HOURS IN A QUEUE FOR GUEST SERVICES TO COMPLAIN ABOUT THE HALF HOUR SQUIRREL NUTTY QUEUE!!! RAAAAAAAGGGEEEEEE!!!!

 

[SaiyanHajime]

And people wonder why Alton decided against opening:

Taken on Farley Lane this evening.

The road is clear, pft!

It really depends on one thing - were there enough staff turning up to open? If there were, then it should be open. Open with warnings that most attractions would be down and that the local roads are exceptionally bad, but what of those staying in the hotel?

If you say you're going to be open, you better be unless the apocalypse is coming.

Staffing at parks must be a nightmare - trying to predict how many people you'd need when...

As for parks simply not opening this early. Ah bollocks. If anything, they should be open longer. This snowfall up in Staffs is unusual. It's not just unusual for March, it's unusual for the whole country for the whole winter. There's nothing stopping Alton being a year round park who provides a different set of experiences over winter. However, I often wonder why our parks open weekdays at this time of year with so few punters turning up, especially in this weather. It would take a weight off and give them longer into the season to make changes that they apparently don't have time over winter to **** do. But that's another issue in itself - if they opened year round (weekends through winter), there would be more pressure to get work done in the timeframe provided. They'd close certain areas of the park over winter to make changes, different areas each season. When it's warm enough, have a few rides open, and alternate those rides each year. The days I've been to BG Williamsburg during Christmas Town have been busier than any summer day, despite only one coaster being open and a handful of other rides weather depending.

 

[furie]

How warm is BGW at Christmas? I've done Alton, Butlins, Warwick and Drayton during the Christmas - Feb. You can manage an hour, maybe two in freezing/close to freezing weather before you just have to give in. The places (except Butlins and Warwick to a degree which has huge amounts of indoor), they don't generally have enough warm shelter.

It's just not nice to be honest, which is why they don't open - it's good sense because (despite what you may read on Facebook) - people aren't really that stupid... Except for us who keep on going to these places in the Winter and freezing.

The lanes FYN posted images of weren't clear over the weekend, or very clear. I think it's sensible Alton closed as those roads would have been deadly with a lot of traffic on them (though with heavy use, they would have cleared).

I don't think snow in March is THAT unusual either, and it seems that unpredictable "bad" weather is happening enough to make it worth considering just having the limited opening as we've both suggested

 

[furie]

Quick addition here.

There's been Snow in March 3 times in the last ten years, and once in April. One year it didn't snow, but it was the coldest it had been since 1979 or something.

So I say that's about a 40% chance of snow around these opening times

 

[FaceYourNemesis]

The lanes FYN posted images of weren't clear over the weekend, or very clear. I think it's sensible Alton closed as those roads would have been deadly with a lot of traffic on them (though with heavy use, they would have cleared).

People were abandoning their cars in Alton village apparently. It was that bad.