The Smiler - your thoughts?

[Nemesis Inferno]

It's hard to review something that has had numerous reviews already, without repeating everyone else constantly, but quite simply, the Smiler is a solid coaster that has really brought something to the table that has captured the minds of everyone who visits the park... The GP are just as incredulated by the ride, and who can blame them?

If there's one thing Smiler is, it's a construction marvel, such a mass tangle of track in that area is a great feat of engineering... To think 8 years ago Black Hole stood there is ridiculous, and Smiler is just one big twisted sight of metal with the two yellow trains providing a great addition to the darkness...

It's certainly a ride designed for off-riders overall... The Marmaliser is certainly more noticeable for near-misses off the ride (though the Inoculator arm is very good on-ride) and indeed, people say there is a lack of thematic elements, but how can you provide that without it detracting from the ride or indeed make it more obvious? IMPOSSIBRUUU!

The queue then, it's a concrete cattlepen yes, BUT, do you notice this? I (and many others in the queue) spent the entire time looking up and around at the ride, one thing I had before I rode was a crick in the neck because of 2 hours of this... It can be claustrophobic but it's only till you stand in the queue do you realise why the adjustments to the fencing were required before it opened... The track gets damn close at times...

The music, is fab... I can also see why some hate it, but it's so fab and LOTS of people hum it... I want it in my life more... Besides, when the ride gets going, you can't hear it anyway because of the Gerstlauer ROAR <3

The projection mapping room is made of awesome as well... Simple, but effective sums it up... I think this room is the reason why many dislike the clinical plain nature of the station, because of the sheer change in atmosphere... However, I like it, especially the dispatch system... Simple, but effective...

So the ride, the first ride, I felt one jolt which was akin to the one on Vampire's straight before the 2nd lift, nowhere near the Cobra Roll, the second ride in the back row, there were 3/4 jolts of URGH (including the Cobra Roll)... However, these aside, it's mental, completely and utterly mental... The near misses with the track and the craziness really help the ride push itself up to the limits... The break at the vertical lift is REQUIRED however, it may result in a 'two rides bolted together' opinion, but without that break, there would be a lot more problems with people feeling sick after the ride...

Overall, I would say Smiler is a fantastic addition to the park... Not the best ride on park or a Nemesis beater, but it is a damn solid ride... It's not perfect, but the unique theme (including the fab Candy Cave <3) really provides a great overall experience... There is a worry about it getting rougher in the future, but that's for another day...

One final mention, the duelling element is amazing... Like, seriously, both on and off ride... It's a shame it's not constant, but when it DOES happen, it's just made of pure win... The best aspect of the ride right there...

8/10

 

[MarsdenDean]

Hello!

Very rarely post on here but here goes!

Went on the 11th June and qued up from 9am and was off the ride by 1030am. Didn't really notice the que this time as we walked right to the front. The music was fairly loud and stuck in your head! Really enjoyed the ride apart from the last couple of inversions. One of them felt like it really tighten up half way throu and it hurt slightly.

Second time we started to que from 4PM and left the ride exit at 6:25pm. The ride broke down for around 20 minutes leaving one train at the bottom of the second lift hill and one half way up the first. Unsure what the problem was but we was stuck at the start of the que line. The que line is very effective as you do feel boxed in, but i think this is very good.

The shop in the middle of the ques need sorting out. There is a section of fencing that is missing which means 30 or 40 people can jump in front of you. We waiting behind another couple but some other people jumped passed us and they got around 10 seconds further in the que.


Overall i would rate this the best coaster at alton and then nemesis. . . .

 

[peep]

I echo pretty much what Benin said. That queueline is brilliant, you're just constantly watching the ride not really caring about time etc. Just a very well designed area and that illusion room is amazing, could stand and watch them for a very long time. It also moves at a good pace as they are so quick at dispatching the ride.

I wouldn't say the ride was rough or smooth. It's just odd, almost like it rumbles along? It didn't effect my ride experience though, there was the occasional jolt but I didn't find them painful or anything. Then again I've only ever had one bad ride on Saw so maybe I'm immune to this so-called Gerst roughness?

I found the ride really fun and it seems like everyone else on the train had just as much fun. Just a very good solid ride, a fantastic addition to Alton.

^Actually I noticed this about the queue around the shop area, I would say they should close it up but then you'd just get one person holding up the rest of the queue, but if you're in a group you just have to get the rest to hold your spot and then find them again. It's awkward however they do it.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Whys the shop any different to any queue-shop?

Those queue shops only don't work because people are stupid and do not understand the concept of a queue.

 

[peep]

It's hard to describe. Kinda wish I'd taken a photo of it now. Say you wanted to buy something from the shop, you'd temporarily go to the left to buy something instead of going straight and then right. For some reason it looks like the queue should go past where you can buy things which is to the left and then come back on itself, however there is a gap in the fencing so people can avoid the shop.

Can someone describe it any better? May have to draw a diagram.

 

[CookieCoasters]

Just rode it today in every row except the front (typical), and it was very difficult to formulate a concrete opinion on as there was so many features of the ride that had an effect, and i will group them in terms of whether they were positive or negative.

Positive Features:

Unique and interesting layout.
Considerably longer than your average coaster.
Disorientation added to the experience.
A good mixture of intense and not so intense sections.
Not tedious despite constant inversions.
Most of the ride was fun and not to rough.
Great ride to watch, and good views from the queue line.
I actually quite like the trains and have since the first time i saw them


Negative Features:

Lots of vibrating all the way round
3 definite jolts which were unpleasant at the side of the trains.
Unimpressed with their attempt at theming.
Pre-lift section was far inferior to saw's, mainly because of the lack of theming.
In the back two rows the restraints tightened a bit too much.
The last three inversions could have been so much better, if it weren't for the roughness.
Airtime would have been much better if you weren't stapled in.


I don't know if i have had so much to say about a coaster for a while. Overall, though i was pleased with it and it is considerably better than saw, as it has more than one redeeming feature. I appreciate the fact it is very unique which definitely made me enjoy the ride a lot more, but there are some things that need sorting out before this becomes a world class coaster IMO, whether they actually will is another matter. Comparing it with the other coasters at Alton i would say it is my second favourite quite far behind nemesis and just ahead of air. Coaster Rating: 8.5/10

 

[Smithy]

Whys the shop any different to any queue-shop?

Those queue shops only don't work because people are stupid and do not understand the concept of a queue.

Do I stay or do I go?

Ignoring the sing-a-long, I genuinely don't know. If somebody stops to buy something, **** them, I'm walking past. If they want to walk back past me to retake their spot in the queue I won't stop them. But I also won't just stand there and let a giant gap appear in the queue whilst they decide they're desperate for a packet of minstrels.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

Whys the shop any different to any queue-shop?

Those queue shops only don't work because people are stupid and do not understand the concept of a queue.

Do I stay or do I go?

Ignoring the sing-a-long, I genuinely don't know. If somebody stops to buy something, **** them, I'm walking past. If they want to walk back past me to retake their spot in the queue I won't stop them. But I also won't just stand there and let a giant gap appear in the queue whilst they decide they're desperate for a packet of minstrels.

You're a colossal prick. If someone stops in a queue for any reason, you wait for them to move on, because it's not adding more time to your wait to leave a gap.

 

[Smithy]

Whys the shop any different to any queue-shop?

Those queue shops only don't work because people are stupid and do not understand the concept of a queue.

Do I stay or do I go?

Ignoring the sing-a-long, I genuinely don't know. If somebody stops to buy something, **** them, I'm walking past. If they want to walk back past me to retake their spot in the queue I won't stop them. But I also won't just stand there and let a giant gap appear in the queue whilst they decide they're desperate for a packet of minstrels.

You're a colossal prick. If someone stops in a queue for any reason, you wait for them to move on, because it's not adding more time to your wait to leave a gap.

I don't see what difference it makes personally. They get their place back in the queue. And it stops people whinging and moaning (as they were when I was at Alton last in Thirteen queue) about not going past them. I don't saunter past them and refuse to let them retake their place (so colossal prick is slightly over the top you berk) but it's far easier than just standing still and then having people try and pass you, or bunching up behind you to get past assuming you're another annoying* person trying to buy something mid-queue.



*Annoying in the sense that I find all sorts of mid-queue shop annoying, not annoying for 'holding up' the queue before you latch onto that and rant about it as well.

 

[SaiyanHajime]

"Well everybody else does it" logic doesn't really fly. If everyone chilled out and just thought about it for a second they'd see that there's no need to get in a hissy about a gap in a queue line.

Whether you're stopping to take a photo, to avoid a puddle, to buy something or simply because you haven't realised the queues moved, those behind need to chill out. It won't affect the queue time. I dunno why people feel the need to be as close as possible to the people in front. I had no idea enthusiasts were also unaware of how a queue works...

 

[Smithy]

"Well everybody else does it" logic doesn't really fly. If everyone chilled out and just thought about it for a second they'd see that there's no need to get in a hissy about a gap in a queue line.

Except it does when you're not somebody who bothers with mindless arguments about queueline efficiency and the effects of a brief pause mid-queueline or lack thereof with members of the general public who frankly could not care less and just want to keep moving.

Whether you're stopping to take a photo, to avoid a puddle, to buy something or simply because you haven't realised the queues moved, those behind need to chill out. It won't affect the queue time. I dunno why people feel the need to be as close as possible to the people in front.

Because they simply don't know, they're not aware of how long the queue may snake round past the shop, they don't know that they're not actually being inconvenienced, they just see a huge gap, assume it's going to take them longer to get there and get annoyed.

I had no idea enthusiasts were also unaware of how a queue works...

Don't patronise me, here's a specific example so maybe, just maybe, you'll understand it from my point of view rather than assuming everybody who doesn't share the superior experience of an enthusiast like you is dumb and should study the inner nuances of queueing before visiting a theme park.

I queued for thirteen. I've not been on it before. I don't know how long the queue is, how long the queue is from a set point (the indiciators are always unreliable I've found), I don't know how much of the queue before the shop or after the shop are open/shut. I see a huge gap open up when people stop to buy some essential purchases that simply cannot wait. I get annoyed because subconsciously all I can see is that there's a gap that I could be walking into, that would get me physically closer to riding.

In that scenario, I wasn't thinking about it having no effect whatsoever on the overall time I'd be queueing. I just saw that the distance between me and the ride would be getting smaller, and I had to wait to make it so. It's a subconscious thing that I'm entirely unaware of, a reactionary thought. I had similar with Saw when I visited. Queueing for an hour can do that to people who don't frequent theme parks on a monthly basis.

I do the same thing in traffic jams, when people leave a massive space from the car in front; it means I'm further away from where I want to be, and even though I'm quite aware afterwards that it has no impact on the overall time it takes to get there, at the time it's one of those things that bugs me, as it does other members of the GP who I'd assume think likewise given the complaints I heard (just go past them, why are we still stood here, is this the queue for the rita, we're gonna be queueing even longer now) combined from both Thorpe and Alton in my last two visits.

 

[furie]

I'm with Smithy, but I understand the logic of what Joey is saying - but since when has any mass body of people shown even the slightest respect for logic?

Smithy is spot on. If you stop to wait for somebody to buy over priced confectionery in the queue, you end up getting a load of aggravation from the people queueing behind you because you're not moving in to fill the gap. The person buying the stuff doesn't get any negativity/ anger directed at them, they're just desperate for a chocolate fix after all, but if you're holding up that queue (even though it won't make the slightest difference to the total queue time in the slightest), you're scum of the Earth.

It's different if you're part of a significant group of people, but if there just a few of you, it's not worth the hassle of having the ire of the people behind you, when you can just let the people in the shop get back into place.

Anyway, the shop wasn't open when I went, so I have no idea :lol:

 

[MarsdenDean]

Its just people who are to ignorant to wait an extra 2 minutes.

There was a family behind us who must of lost 40 places to muppets who walked right around them, all to get 15 seconds further into the que. Alton towers policy is to eject anyone who que jumps, and there definitions are quite clear to me - Shame people ignore them and are only interested in number one :roll:

 

[caffeine_demon]

When I was there, the shop workers were encouraging people not buying to skip straight past those who were buying something - I can't see why, as the pause while someone's buying refreshments isn't going to delay your time to get on the ride (they'd have to put the shop the other side of the airgates to do that!!)

 

[SaiyanHajime]

If I was working there, I'd explain to those behind that it doesn't effect their queuing time. The problem is no one cares.

It's the same with stopping people at batching areas. Everyone's always like SIGH WHY ME. When I've worked in such positions I'm like "You're just waiting here instead of in there. It makes no difference to your waiting time."

I know full well the majority of people do not understand how a queue works, what I don't get is why you guys would contribute to that?

I wonder if this section of queue was designed to alleviate the issue of guest idiocy? Maybe. In practise, it makes sense, but it still irritates the hell out of me that people are that dumb.

 

[Smithy]

Its just people who are to ignorant to wait an extra 2 minutes.

There was a family behind us who must of lost 40 places to muppets who walked right around them, all to get 15 seconds further into the que. Alton towers policy is to eject anyone who que jumps, and there definitions are quite clear to me - Shame people ignore them and are only interested in number one :roll:

It's Alton's job to make it clear what to do in that situation; you can't just expect random visitors to all follow the same 'rules', some will wait, some will pass and yield the place back (which a colossal prick like me does), some will pass and refuse to let them retake their place.

I know full well the majority of people do not understand how a queue works, what I don't get is why you guys would contribute to that?

Less hassle. It's annoying enough having to spend an hour queued next to people you may not necessarily want to be in close proximity to. I'm not too keen to also annoy them by answering back and explaining to them why I'm stood waiting and letting a big gap develop and how it won't affect them.

I'd be keen to see the reactions if signs were put up at the stalls saying to wait in line if people are purchasing, it has no effect on the time you'll be queueing etc. Then if people tried to push past the shop-worker could 'enforce' the queue jumping rules. As it is it's entirely unclear as to what you should do which is why most just walk past.

 

[Crazycoaster]

I see it as 'if you want to shop, you come out of the queue to do it'. Then once you've purchased your items you carry on at the current place in the queue. People who don't want to shop, don't have to wait for you. And if you don't like it, simply wait the time for you to get off the ride to purchase an overpriced drink or ice cream. Easy.

Why should other people have to wait for you? It's not as if those 20-40 people that passed you are going to dramatically increase your queuetime is it? I actually prefere the way it's done on The Smiler haha.

 

[bob_3_]

I've ridden the ride a fair few times now and I have to say, I enjoy it, I'd definately put it into the "fun" category.

I must admit my first ride was riddled by over-hyping in my head, and I found it a little much to take in, and overall a little bland (albeit EXTREMELY smooth in the front row... I've since had rough rides). However with consecutive rides (which also helps you to learn to brace for the bumps) I've really come to really enjoy it. It's not overly intense but the layout feels well thought out.

It's not perfect though and I feel maybe a little more is needed to make the indoor section flow and possibly more in the queue. The roughness DOES definitely vary from vehicle to vehicle and seat to seat but it's never completely unbearable. The theming concept is still a stroke of genius in my eyes.

The ride will be stella at Scarefest though, with the lighting effects (which are almost unnoticeable atm). And I MUST point out if you're mates are on the vehicle in front and they perfectly duel, it's such a treat to ride... shouting across to them as you pass each other on the pre-drops, noticing them screaming next to you and you both pull off the dive loops in synchronisation and them the fantastic bat-wing-knot-thing, when I experienced that (also may I add because you're looking around for the other vehicle you'll notice all the marmalising arms... you get pretty close to them!) I've realised in the right circumstances this ride tops the fun scale for any other ride in the UK.

It's a perfect ERT ride. Imagine just CF flying round with the dueling...perfection.

Also there's a decent video online now posted by Alton that captures the atmosphere of the area quite well.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFTreEEOzDs[/youtube]

 

[Stealthyrose]

I was lucky enough to win tickets to the park for myself and some friends that we used on Monday July 1st. The prize also included a Smiler fastrack each which we were very thankful for as on the day the queues were over 3 hours long, leaving the X sector and reaching as far as the Towers. To look at it is absolutely mesmerising, but the inside section of the queueline (even though we had fast tracks we had to wait ten mins) very dark and claustraphobic, a complete clash to the light and airy loading area.

I found the ride itself very enjoyable. I usually find most inversions very uncomfortable as I am so skinny I am thrown around in my seat a lot (colossus at Thorpe Park is my ultimate enemy), but I found this ride very comfortable! Except for maybe the last few inversions and corners which I think a lot of people have picked up on?

The Marmaliser wasnt really noticable on the ride though to be honest. It was nice to look at off ride but didn't make much of an impression as I thought it would.

Over all I loved it, so much that at the end of the day we queued for 2 hours to go on it again

 

[Screaming Coasters]

Did The Smiler today, and it was ok..
It's nothing to scream home about, but it certainly isn't something to disregard. Like everyone is saying, its a solid ride. One thing that broke it for me, was the lack of intensity - it just wasn't intense at all.

Not the best ride, but really cool!