shark cabins are genuinely nasty. Expensive shipping containers that get steamed up with dreadful entrance staff who tear open your suitcases and throw all your underpants everywhere -_-
Casper is going to have so much fun watching these videos when he gets older! Appreciate the effort and time you must have put in to produce a high quality video of this length!
Fun fact about Alton Towers, The Rides are not allowed to spoil the sky line of the country side hence why many of the roller coasters are built below surface level in pits and travel underground alot more than other theme parks.
I live in Staffordshire and Alton and the surrounding area is my favourite part of this beautiful county. Unless you drove past the entrance, you’d never know there was a theme park there!
That’s correct. The residents of Alton village did not want their picturesque view spoiled by tall structures so even the mobile phone masts are made to look like trees. The Alton villagers use to complain frequently about the queues of traffic through the village, Alton Towers did intend to build a road directly to the rear of the site from to a main road near by that would have eased that problem. However, the same villagers that were complaining then complained that building a new road would take the passing trade away from the village. 🤷♂️ Over the years with increasing admission prices and costs of living the average amount of daily visitors to the park has dwindled significantly and therefore so has the traffic problem in any case.
@@WalkWithMeTim in the village their is a b&b called ‘The Chained Oak’ next to it is a public footpath. If you follow the footpath for about half a mile you will find the Old Oak Tree that is referenced in the ‘Hex’ ride. To this very day it is still chained up although a recent storm and the aged rusted metal chains has caused some of the branches to fall. It was once used as a hanging tree and you can still see the steps going up to it. Next time you are in the area go and have a look at it. I can meet you and guide you to it if you like.
Wouldn't be surprised if that is changed in the next few decades. Can imagine it's the older generations that don't like the idea of a view ruined by rollercoasters where as this generation may even get a kick out of being so close to a roller coaster. As for noise pollution not sure a foot or two of structure poking overs tree tops would much to add to that.
I believe the reason a lot of the teenagers on school trips chose to go into CBeebies land is simply because the queues to everything else are hours long so a-lot of them think it’s how to get the most rides in. Not to mention the nostalgia factor that most people are able to experience.
exactly! i ended up going on gangsta granny and if i heard people complaining about me being there i definitely would have said something about it because the queue times for everything else was horrendous
I actually genually like rides like this it's a nice way to get ready for big rides + i love to have my inner child to have fun. Ngl if I heard someone complain about me I would cry and just leave because I would feel bad 😭
Alton Towers holds special memories for me. My husband proposed to me at the top of the towers, we’re still happily married 30 years later. Good to watch this video and relive my youth! 😊
One of the few content creaters that truly commits and delivers new exciting content - appreciate the time you take especially with a small child to raise.
I agree They close so early One time I visited lego land they closed at 4 pm? Cinema doesn't close until late Most entertaining places don't shut until 8 or 9 pm Why are theme parks closing early? They should open from 9 am to 8 pm in My opinion in the summer! Winter 9 am to 6 pm It's not worth the money going 10 am to 4 pm
Oh gosh 😮 I'm surprised they let that room out in that state in the first hotel. I used to be a Room attendant years ago and there used to be a housekeeper that checked the rooms after the attendants serviced them, so if they were not serviced correctly then they would be asked to correct the areas they missed. I wonder if the attendant on this room was a ' Self checker' and as such doesn't have to worry about a housekeeper checking it after they have serviced it. Also we used to do a 'Spring clean' on one room everyday so everything was turned upside down and taken out including curtains and nets and mattresses and replaced with all clean replacements. That carpet definitely has not been hoovered in ages and the room attendants aren't getting into the areas of the carpets with hoover they should be. I used to service up to 14 rooms a day at a 4* hotel. I wonder if these room attendants here are having to do so many rooms that they're cutting corners as they just don't have the time. It's not a job you can afford to cut corners in mind, as it leads to bad reviews and low occupancy rates as word spreads the hotel isn't clean 🤷. Edit: I was never a room attendant here in this theme park hotel, I was a room attendant in a central London hotel and just assume they would work by similar methods, I could be very wrong though. And it was a very long time ago when I was a room attendant 😂.
Probably the person who has your previous position isn't as thorough or responsible as you were. The entire resort looks very dated. I wouldn't have stayed there.
yeah, I actually worked in the Splash hotel years ago, not as a housekeeper/cleaner though, I worked on the bar and restaurants- as well as other random jobs managers wanted me to do. I used to help out occasionally with glass collecting in the rooms too, my younger sister (16) did housekeeping in both the hotels, most cleaners are very young, they have high quota of rooms they have to clean, so I think most of them rush the cleaning so they can leave on time. There is supposed to be a checker/supervisor too, but honestly the main reason I left was due to staff and management getting worse with years, especially splash landings was always understaffed- hence why I and others were always overworked, and given more jobs outside of our restaurant and bar duties. But, I actually kinda miss the Hawaiian shirt uniform.
I'm a Merlin Pass holder so go to AT many times during the year. During peak season 4-6 rides in the day is quite normal, out of season i usually do 14-16 rides in the day. The towers used to be open to the public but this year they havent opened at all, sadly. Both Splash landings and the Alton Towers hotel include 9 holes of mini golf with a stay. Also the basic category of room at both hotels only has fans in the room (no A/C) but all rooms above that have now had A/C added. There is also an inside corridor between the two hotels so in the winter, or in bad weather u dont have to go outside.
I've had a 'Walk with me Tim' marathon today 😂.. .been all over the country today..The Bodmin jail looks amazing 👌 great to watch all your videos whilst stuck in on a very rainy day 🌧🌧 Hope you all have a lovely time at Alton Towers 😊
It's great that Casper gets to go on all these holiday locations with you. When they're so little, it's such a special time, when they are all full of wonder, finding out all about the world around them. Looks like you're making the most of this precious time with him
Love your videos! I worked at Alton Towers between 2015 and 2016 and I must admit I absolutely hated it. I worked at both of these hotels including the Enchanted Village. I was a receptionist but felt like a number in a massive corporate wheel. The house keeping team worked really hard but had an unrealistic target to meet. Once a room was cleaned a supervisor or manager would check the room to say it’s good to go. It was always to the nail every day to get the room done, and myself and managers use to help out when the cleaning team was short. The guests were generally lovely but working at the resort was absolutely shocking! Bullying was rife and it caused me to have a mental breakdown. My one advice to any guest it to complain if you are not satisfied with any part of your trip. Alton Towers is expensive and you pay good money for a good product. Alton towers deals well with complaints and will do anything to make you happy! So please just speak to a guest relation manager and tell them if you have any issues. I have known people have full refunds, rook upgrades, free fast tracks and much more just for a simple complaint!
I remember Alton Towers back in the early eighties when it was just the corkscrew and another roller coaster. It was all about the gardens, cable ride and craft centre. Great vlog
Love seeing your family with you. Seeing Casper smiling at different times is so priceless 😊 Gabby enjoyed herself! This would be a cool place to visit!
Hi Tim. I’ve only started watching your channel over the past few days so I’m catching up! I must say you are a natural in front of the camera and make your posts interesting and entertaining to watch!
Interesting comparison in the hotels. Both well themed but I agree, Splash Landings would be my preference. You probably need to stay a few days to get the full benefit of the park. It may have already been mentioned in the comments but The Towers have been closed for quite a while with no indication of when reopening, which is a pity. Loved the selfie in the oversized deck chair! Thumps, as usual, was enjoying himself, always a joy to see him. And, as always, another immensely enjoyable video.
Great review Tim, shocking quality given how expensive a weekend will set you back to visit Alton Towers, it looks so old fashioned for the money, we went last summer, we thought exactly the same, cost me, £60 Fuel, £256 hotel one night, £110 theme park tickets, £90 food, £40 gift shop, £556 for one night that flys over then the kids are bored 😂 and thats the quality you get 😮 and some of the rides were down when we went..
I've looked into a short Alton Towers break many times, but the price has always put me off. Now I've seen both hotels via your trip report I'm pleased to say you've saved me from wasting my money. And the water park closes when the theme park closes? Hmm, that irritates me, the pool should be open in the evening so guests can do both without paying for another night to get it all done.
Hello Tim and Gabby and baby Casper. I absolutely love watching your videos,I can't afford to get away with the increase of bills etc so I love watching you and seeing all the places you visit .thank you for taking me along with you haha ,keep the videos coming ,lots of love Debs x
I love Alton Towers, what a treat it will be to see one of my favorite youtubers roaming around there giving a review on the hotels. I can't wait and will be tuning in! Once again Tim keep up the good work. Hope you, Gabby and the family are all well :)
Thank you, Tim. We found your channel a few days ago and we really like it. Both your individual tours as well as your trips with the family. 1 million subscribers - let's go! 🍀
Will you speak up to management regarding the lack of cleanliness? I hope so. No matter what price you might be paying,room should be clean. Love your videos. Thank you.
Glad you've covered it Tim..We did these a few years ago when my kids were younger, stopped in both hotels, done the Santa sleepover which was magical one winter around 2012..The golf was good & the water park in winter which goes outside was awesome..Had a theme room etc and on the whole really enjoyed it as a family..do sort of miss it now they're older but enjoyed your take on it..Keep up the good work, all the best.👍
Although the editing has always been good on all you videos. I'm not a person who would know good editing or superior editing, so I like them all. I'm more interested in the theme and the bed test....(: Once stayed in a hotel where I swear the mattress was older than the hotel, which was very old. I've slept on a air mattress that was only half inflated which was better.
This is incredible to see Tim! I live in Norfolk so I watch all your Norfolk videos, but was so pleased to see this one pop up! I stayed at the Alton Towers hotel when I was about 9 or 10, and honestly it looks SO similar, but weirdly not as dated as I would have expected. I love how they still have all the Jules Verne themes. Might have to go back again and take my kids after watching this! Thanks for another great vid.
Doing a great job Tim...you"re very diplomatic in your reviews! The shoddy hygiene in the rooms is such a turn off and unfortunately it seems to be a common theme in the UK...
Most large hotels can only get kids straight out of school to do this kind of work. Once they realise how bad the job is and how little they actually get paid they quit so big hotels like these get through a relentless turnover of staff.
I used to work in housekeeping. They get half an hour per room and 13 rooms in total. I was not paid after 3 pm. Sheer pressure. I think its why its minging. I also used to work for towers. Many memories as an employee there 🙂.
Hi Tim , Gaby and Casper. This really makes me realise how behind we are in theme parks compared to Europe and USA. Gaby really makes me laugh. With her youths on the children's ride . I used to love to Alton towers I haven't been since 1998. I must get back there soon . With the hotel i think fair enough it's old but that's not an excuse for general cleanliness. When you got lost made me chuckle 😂😂😂. Love you all thanks for sharing with us. Love to you both as always Tracey 💕 Xxxxx
Another excellent video from Tim & Gaby. Personally, I preferred the Alton Towers room - the theme was so imaginative, I think kids would adore it. Yes, the Splash seemed cleaner but I hate over-warm rooms so not for me! 🙂👍
Now THIS is exciting, I went to Alton Towers last Tuesday, I GOT ON 1 RIDE THE WHOLE DAY! I was very disappointed, but very excited to watch this video 🎉❤😅
Excellent vlog @Walk With Me Tim loved the intro, a very tight professional looking edit, beautifully shot showing off both park and accommodation, loved some of the quirky room designs but such a shame about the cleanliness aspect, overall i honestly think this is one of the best vlogs you have produced and i definitely think the long format is the way forward as evidenced by 24k views in just 4 hours.
I'm 15 and i personally like the nature part and the parts between rides since it gives more room to set a scene making if feel more unique and higher quality. i managed to go on every ride since our school trip got delayed 2 times last year and we ended up going November 1st and no one was their the queue for wicker man was only about 10 mins.
Definitely in need of a refurb those hotels. Did you complain or? I believe the mesh was added over the monorail windows to hide behind the scenes areas a little bit better as they're in a state. I do miss the days where you could see out of the monorail windows, added to the whole magic and mystique of arriving at the front gates.
If you go to Alton Towers at the right times of the year you can get on most rides with minimal queues. The next quiet period would be weekdays in September and early October up until scarefest. But even with scarefest, the park is open until 9PM, most people leave about 6....last year we got on Wickerman, Rita, Smiler, Thirteen and Oblvion in the space of about half an hour. Start of the season mid weeks is usually quiet too. To answer your question, the most rides I have been on at Alton Towers in one day is over 20.
Wow well Tim! I wasn't expecting Alton Towers to be like this! I think I was expecting just big Fairground Rides. I wasn't expecting all this charm & to be transported into a wanting to be Kid again mentally! Right, the 1st Hotel the Alton Towers Hotel built in 1996. I loved the Hippie Colours, all those deep purples & oranges & bright but muted colours. It certainly had a quirky charm of its own. The reception area did look magical as you walked in & I liked the look of it from outside. It was rather rustic & old fashioned but very lovely I loved all the subtle lighting. I was fancying the Coca Cola Room! The Carpet did look dated in Hallway & half filled cup outside your room wasn't nice! Loved the lit up room Numbers. Your room was quiant I loved the purple. The bunk beds proper hippie vibes! Nice for Kids but for Adults too! What really let the room down was the dirt & the old dated furniture & smelly fridge! Not a welcome in to what would of been a welcoming room. Shame because a deep clean & a new Carpet would make all the difference. Brand New Teddys 🧸 would be an improvement. The bed was old & badly stained just brand new beds needed! I just feel like this Hotel needs a deep clean & some new furnishings. And new Air Conditioning Units. The view from the window was sublime. Definitely new carpet in the room needed. The Bathroom was amazing hippie retro chic!Just deep clean needed again. Loved the clock theme in the Bathroom reflected in one of the seating areas downstairs full of decorative Clocks! Loved the retro rustic Lifts. Lovely Hotel just needs abit of TLC. Great photo opportunities with the fancy Chairs. The Entertainment area looks colourful & the Secret Garden Restaurant was lovely I thought. Outside seating & the lake, far more interesting than I thought it would be. The Rollercoaster Restaurant was incredible the food flying around was like the stuff of dreams & the food looked such a good variety too! All bright & full of life & noise! Not sure what was going on with al the noise! But I really liked it. I've never seen a place that makes me want to be a Kid again sooo much! I'm really sorry I never got to see Alton Towers as a Kid! Alton Towers itself wasnt nowhere as intimidating as I thought it would be. The Train was great for kids & Kidults. Shame it wasn't a beautiful sunny day for you all. Some July we've had! Casper looks like he enjoyed himself even if he has never seen Postman Pat before! Some of the rides were far more dated than I expected like Postman Pat was from my day! And the Choo Choo train & Night Garden Boat Trip was quite charming but again dated but I prefer it like that. It reminds me of Happy Mount Park, it's got abit of a timeless quality about it. So funny how you said alot of Teenagers were on the rides, I would of thought it was more for Kiddies. But I think everyone goes back to Childhood in Alton Towers. Shame it takes so long to get thru the queues on the rides. I agree with Gaby nice to see the grounds I between the rides lovely topiary & bushes & flowers very beautiful! CBeebies was after my time. In my time it was Childrens BBC. It was nice to see the place so busy! Like the Staffordshire Castle in the grounds adds something substantial to park. Splash Landing Hotel as you & Gaby said was definitely cleaner than the 1st Hotel. It had a Singapore vibe from the outside! Inside lovley bright & colourful. The Restaurants & Coloured Lights were beautiful. That Giant Deck Chair was epic! The water park also epic👌 I would still love to go there just for a drink & something to eat & a stay in a room as a Kidult🤣they'll always be a kid in me! The Carpet was disappointing looked almost worn away in the corridor, but your room was lovely. The bed looked alot cleaner. 2nd Hotel had a charm just like the 1st Hotel had but looked abit cleaner. And no Air Conditioning would suit me as long as the window could open. And a fan is all that's needed. Loved the destressed wood effect around the Mirror in your room. Retro phones!😂 Bathroom full of personality! Did look clean! Lovely colourful tiles by the Bath. Bar & food area again lovley bright colourful & cheerful. Amazing huge indoor water feature in the 2nd Hotel. And fab amusement arcade, good for ☔ raining days. The water park looks cosy! Even Palm 🌴 Trees outside. Breakfast looked very yummy made me feel hungry! The whole Alton Towers Experience was much more than I expected oozing charm interest! Thanks for showing such an amazing place Tim & allowing my inner child to come out! Brilliant vlog💜💚❤️🧡💛
We went to Splash Landings with our grandchildren for a birthday in January. We could swim out to the outdoor area, which we did , it was brilliant because it was snowing but the water was so warm that we weren’t cold. We even went down a water slide in the snow and plunging down into the hot water was so lovely. We sat in the hot tub area for ages with the snow coming down on our heads 😂. The room style and the carpet look the same but I’m sure the bathroom is updated and possibly some of the decor in the room. We did love it when we went though
@@WalkWithMeTim I think many like me will have only just discovered your channel on here. I think your format would do really well on one of the main tv channels. I almost feel as if I’m there. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying this.
Hi Tim! I worked at Splash Landings in 2011 for five months. Granted things must have changed as its been a long time, for instance, the rooms have obviously been redecorated since. Things I remember. The hour long bus to work (public bus from Stoke) got us there 50 minutes early so we were forced to sit and wait to start. Passing a probationary period, and thus gaining a magic pass of 20 free tickets (for yourself/f&f) you had to complete 9 room cleans consistently. I had worked out that if I skipped breaks/lunch I could have 30 minutes to work on each room (room, linen for double bed/two bunks, bathroom and hoovering). Regular snags would be things like; not enough trollies for staff so having to share, being given cleans in family rooms with extra beds, being given VIP rooms (rooms for previous complainants who get their rooms deep cleaned), having to help other housekeepers, guests making a seriously irritating amount of mess, or guests still being in their rooms until the last possible moment.... Basically, I and some others never could pass probation. I managed the 9 rooms on my last day working there, I have no idea what corners I would have had to have cut in order to have managed, I think I got lucky that day because the bunk beds of one of the rooms hadn't been slept in so I shaved some time. Perhaps also it wouldn't have been so bad if management at the time were prone to shouting you down if you weren't keeping pace. I remember regularly skipping lunch and sneaking/cramming biscuits in the bathrooms in order to not starve, and also being yelled at to the point of crying by bosses. I hated every second I worked there. Gosh I really do hope conditions have improved. Perhaps not in 'Towers Hotel as they seem to be cutting corners in their cleaning. They're probably kids from local towns just trying to make a living, it was prominently 16-18 yo's when I was there who have enough to deal with 🤷
Thank you! This should be the biggest point of videos like this. It is NOT lazy workers cutting corners. It is wealthy employers not allowing employees the proper time to do their job correctly without fear or favour. How anybody can go to Alton Towers after the 2015 Smiler Ride incident is beyond me. The company (Merlin Entertainment) offered their electric engineers incentives to reduce ride downtime. The priority was getting the ride back functional even if the staff member was not 100% sure it was safe as it would impact their salary. The place is dated and has clearly not had any actual investment for some time.
Actually it's funny you say that, because my partner was working on the Smiler during the crash that took place. He worked there for four seasons (4 years) and the crash occurred during his second season. He was randomly assigned to work on Hex that day so wasn't on the ride as staff for that particular day, as Hex were short staffed. He gave me an account of what happened. "Basically the carriages, or at least a couple of them, needed enough weight to generate enough energy to traverse the loop that the carriage didn't complete. I remember at least one other incident that was the previous season I think where the carriage rolled back while they were just being sent around empty. "Anyway, the ride was working properly and the carriage after the one that rolled back stalled on the ascent, but neither the operator or technicians for some reason spotted it on the track, not being where it was supposed to be, the technician overrode the safety shutdown and sent the next carriage off. With guests on. "It was because they added the 5th vehicle partway through operations and sent it around empty, intending to put people on it due to the massive queue time. The op [ride supervisor] was under pressure from upper managers to keep the time down and wasn't experienced enough. The other operator had gone home a couple of hours earlier. No idea who the technician was but the safety features on the ride were so sensitive they were being called back so often to override it it was just complacency." So basically, the factors were the light weight of the carriages causing the carriages to stall (previously been told the wind would push them to a stop and it happened to be very windy that day), the only operator on shift was newly trained and placed on a busy shift before they were competent, and technician staff kept being called out so they switched off the safety features to push a new carriage through - and because there was an extra empty test carriage on the track that wasn't communicated about properly, and no one spotted it for looking with their eyes (or was trained how to). Lots of pressure on staff causes accidents. There was a toll on staff morale. Noone was allowed to talk about it. Guests were told not to ask questions and were threatened with removal from rides if they kept joking about it. My partner found work got harder. Long standing members of staff left. They begged him to keep returning for subsequent seasons, but turnover was so high, and they hired less and less staff, he found himself doing the work of multiple people. And then there was an incident. So you can totally take this as hearsay from a randomer on the internet, but my partner came home one day and explained that something had happened to him. A guest had lost her debit card and had accused my partner of stealing it as he had handled her bag. Security at Towers had, without checking CCTV, jumped to taking my partner into a cleaning cupboard and strip searched him down to his underwear. The guest found her card in the queue. My partner started drinking heavily, it was mostly down to stress and not the incident per say, but woke up still drunk at 5:30am one morning when his alarm went off to get the only bus to get him to work on time, and was like, I don't want to go to work anymore. So happy ending, I was like, just don't go in, I'll get you a job at my place (that I was working at the time). And he never went back. The pressure was too much and they did not respect him, kept promising promotion but kept him doing grunt work because he was the only one they could rely on. Until they pushed far too far and he just stopped attending work. So yeah, Merlin are a corporation under free market capitalism, and put profit before people, that's what I hope is the take away from anybody reading this.
@@osric190 Because the actual park is fun to visit? Why else would people visit? Bit of a stupid comment really. Move on instead of being stuck in 2015
I last went to Alton Towers in 1984, just after the Black Hole ride had opened. The queues for Black Hole were so massive I never got near it all day. It seems to have changed a huge amount since then.
Have stayed in both hotels in 2006 & 2007 when our two boys were little. Loved splash landings hotel the best & especially the waterpark, had never seen such a thing in those days! To be honest I’m surprised at how little the decor in both hotels has changed and yes I can confirm those are still the same carpets!🤢🤮 Great vid as usual Tim, nice one!👍😊❤️
Was lucky enough to experience Alton Towers about 15 years ago or so on a day when Peugeot had hired the entire park, got to go on every ride at least a few times, was great :D
Great vid Tim! The voice over in the intro really sets the mood. Good job 😃 PS, I think everyone would agree that your longer videos are really enjoyable to watch, time flys when we tune into your channel lol. People really warm towards you and your family and not just for the content 😊🥳👊🏻😎
My guess is it's dirty because the housekeeping staff have too many rooms and have to rush. Hotels are always trying to keep staff to an absolute minimum.
We stayed in splash landings 20/21 years ago and absolutely loved it as young adults. I did consider the other hotel but thought splash landings looked a lot more fun. I think we went in the cooler months, maybe autumn as I remember enjoying the humidity in that hotel plus they played Caribbean/reggae themed music throughout which really made it feel like you were on your holidays. We went to the theme park in the day and the waterpark in the evening - I cannot recall the timings as it was such a long time ago but we definitely had plenty of time to enjoy both.
Price wise you can go to salue in spain nice hotel one if not the biggest theme park in europe and a good water park,it's a no brainer to me spain everytime who would go to a place thats dirty and cant even clean a room .
We stayed in both hotels a good decade ago and it's sad to see they are still not cleaning those rooms as the theming is brilliant. We stayed in a couple of themed rooms and for the price per night you expect it to be clean. Good coverage of the lovely grounds throughout the park 👍
Love this content! Really covers the whole experience. Never done the hotel but glad to have been able to see it through your experience. As a group we once went to Alton towers and did 30 rides. Albeit we had platinum fast passes but really makes a huge difference on those days where the park is busy! Keep up the good work!
We went in September last year and we managed 6 of the main big rides (I'm not sure if there's 1 we missed out) but that was only because we got there bang on opening and didn't leave until close, and we were persistent with waiting. I do think though that CBeebies Land should have an age restriction for the rides... considering little kids cant go on the big ones and I personally don't feel parents should have to wait 35 minutes because teenagers are hogging the rides... but that's me 🤷♀
Matters not how many nooks & crannies are in a room; they should be thoroughly cleaned. Thanks for sharing your travels. I enjoy your videos so very much.
My partner and I travelled from Sydney Australia last year and regrettably stayed at Alton Towers Resort Hotel. Due to a major booking error (on the resort's behalf) we were upgraded to an Arctic Room. Thank God we didn't stay in the Splash Landings Hotel - we walked through it and the chlorine smell and lack of air conditioning throughout was horrendous! We were completely underwhelmed with our whole stay at this so-called "resort". How the Merlin Entertainment company can legally get away with this blantant daylight robbery is beyond me. I pity poor families who spend their hard-earned money here for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation and get ripped off so badly. The whole place needs demolishing and a complete rebuild. And our time in the actual theme park was a complete waste of time ... wait times for rides were 120+ minutes! Basically our 2 days here were spent standing bored as bat shite in lines for rides that actually kept braking down. Or we spent hours aimlessly walking miles and miles to get to different themed areas and rides. It was an utterly ridiculous waste of time and good money! We had a much more memorable (and cheaper) time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach the week earlier - there were hardly any wait times (maybe 5 or 10 minutes), and there are many more rides and coasters than Alton Towers. We will never ever go back to Alton Towers and have told all our friends to avoid it like the plague ... such a pity!
Hi Tim and Gabby love you both doing the joint videos it works so well because you hit off together 2 great personalities work so well together and not together of course I wish you both lots of success xx
Did you not see the single rider queues for the bigger rides? usually hidden near the exits... You can normally walk on in 5-10mins by filling up the empty seats like a group of 3 on a row of 4. One of you can mind Casper while the other gets a quick ride, then swap over 👍
Thanks for a great video. Agree with you on Splash Landings! Feels like you would need quite a few days to get everything done and enjoy the water park.
I Stay at Thorpe Park in the Hotel 👉ua-cam.com/video/NM6_huSCGws/v-deo.html
Splendid. Like to know what the hotels would be like as I might be going to Thorpe park soon! Thanks Tim
shark cabins are genuinely nasty. Expensive shipping containers that get steamed up with dreadful entrance staff who tear open your suitcases and throw all your underpants everywhere -_-
You always give positives where there is negatives but sometimes there’s a limit
I never understand why British theme parks don't take advantage of the lighter nights and stay open later (same with the waterpark!)
Agree and why if the hotel is full but only school holidays
Costs them more money doesn’t it to stay open longer
The water park stays open till 10 with hotel guests on some days the day I’m going it stays open till 10
8 hour shifts. only need 1 set of staff. money picking.
The parks in Australia all close at no later than 5pm 7 days a week ha
Just looking back on the video wow yes the first hotel needs a DEEP clean in our room!
lol
Casper is going to have so much fun watching these videos when he gets older! Appreciate the effort and time you must have put in to produce a high quality video of this length!
You are so kind thank you .. yes so fast
@@WalkWithMeTim haha I bet he'll be embarrassed more like!
Who’s called their son Casper 😂😂😂😂 👻
@@Xt-tt6mc somebody who likes the name?
@@Xt-tt6mchere are plenty of worse names then Casper. I think it is cute.
Fun fact about Alton Towers, The Rides are not allowed to spoil the sky line of the country side hence why many of the roller coasters are built below surface level in pits and travel underground alot more than other theme parks.
I live in Staffordshire and Alton and the surrounding area is my favourite part of this beautiful county. Unless you drove past the entrance, you’d never know there was a theme park there!
Yep if you go up the village and look down you can't see anything
That’s correct. The residents of Alton village did not want their picturesque view spoiled by tall structures so even the mobile phone masts are made to look like trees. The Alton villagers use to complain frequently about the queues of traffic through the village, Alton Towers did intend to build a road directly to the rear of the site from to a main road near by that would have eased that problem. However, the same villagers that were complaining then complained that building a new road would take the passing trade away from the village. 🤷♂️
Over the years with increasing admission prices and costs of living the average amount of daily visitors to the park has dwindled significantly and therefore so has the traffic problem in any case.
@@WalkWithMeTim in the village their is a b&b called ‘The Chained Oak’ next to it is a public footpath. If you follow the footpath for about half a mile you will find the Old Oak Tree that is referenced in the ‘Hex’ ride. To this very day it is still chained up although a recent storm and the aged rusted metal chains has caused some of the branches to fall. It was once used as a hanging tree and you can still see the steps going up to it. Next time you are in the area go and have a look at it. I can meet you and guide you to it if you like.
Wouldn't be surprised if that is changed in the next few decades. Can imagine it's the older generations that don't like the idea of a view ruined by rollercoasters where as this generation may even get a kick out of being so close to a roller coaster. As for noise pollution not sure a foot or two of structure poking overs tree tops would much to add to that.
I believe the reason a lot of the teenagers on school trips chose to go into CBeebies land is simply because the queues to everything else are hours long so a-lot of them think it’s how to get the most rides in. Not to mention the nostalgia factor that most people are able to experience.
exactly! i ended up going on gangsta granny and if i heard people complaining about me being there i definitely would have said something about it because the queue times for everything else was horrendous
I actually genually like rides like this it's a nice way to get ready for big rides + i love to have my inner child to have fun.
Ngl if I heard someone complain about me I would cry and just leave because I would feel bad 😭
I love when Gabby and Casper, join you. They're both so lovely!!
Alton Towers holds special memories for me. My husband proposed to me at the top of the towers, we’re still happily married 30 years later. Good to watch this video and relive my youth! 😊
Love that!
One of the few content creaters that truly commits and delivers new exciting content - appreciate the time you take especially with a small child to raise.
Means alot thanks
I agree
They close so early
One time I visited lego land they closed at 4 pm?
Cinema doesn't close until late
Most entertaining places don't shut until 8 or 9 pm
Why are theme parks closing early?
They should open from 9 am to 8 pm in My opinion in the summer!
Winter 9 am to 6 pm
It's not worth the money going 10 am to 4 pm
I'm 56, but this made me feel like a kid again! Thank you Tim and the fam! 🤗
Our pleasure!
What I like about your videos Tim is you really make us feel like part of your family and on holiday with you x
means a lot I try to make them like that :-)
Oh gosh 😮 I'm surprised they let that room out in that state in the first hotel. I used to be a Room attendant years ago and there used to be a housekeeper that checked the rooms after the attendants serviced them, so if they were not serviced correctly then they would be asked to correct the areas they missed. I wonder if the attendant on this room was a ' Self checker' and as such doesn't have to worry about a housekeeper checking it after they have serviced it. Also we used to do a 'Spring clean' on one room everyday so everything was turned upside down and taken out including curtains and nets and mattresses and replaced with all clean replacements. That carpet definitely has not been hoovered in ages and the room attendants aren't getting into the areas of the carpets with hoover they should be. I used to service up to 14 rooms a day at a 4* hotel. I wonder if these room attendants here are having to do so many rooms that they're cutting corners as they just don't have the time. It's not a job you can afford to cut corners in mind, as it leads to bad reviews and low occupancy rates as word spreads the hotel isn't clean 🤷.
Edit: I was never a room attendant here in this theme park hotel, I was a room attendant in a central London hotel and just assume they would work by similar methods, I could be very wrong though. And it was a very long time ago when I was a room attendant 😂.
It's shocking. I can only assume the staff aren't given the time or the tools necessary.
Yes you would think
Probably the person who has your previous position isn't as thorough or responsible as you were. The entire resort looks very dated. I wouldn't have stayed there.
yeah, I actually worked in the Splash hotel years ago, not as a housekeeper/cleaner though, I worked on the bar and restaurants- as well as other random jobs managers wanted me to do. I used to help out occasionally with glass collecting in the rooms too, my younger sister (16) did housekeeping in both the hotels, most cleaners are very young, they have high quota of rooms they have to clean, so I think most of them rush the cleaning so they can leave on time. There is supposed to be a checker/supervisor too, but honestly the main reason I left was due to staff and management getting worse with years, especially splash landings was always understaffed- hence why I and others were always overworked, and given more jobs outside of our restaurant and bar duties. But, I actually kinda miss the Hawaiian shirt uniform.
Smacks pf a place people hate working in. No pride. Says a lot about management.
These edits and the content are somehow continuously getting better and better. Absolutely outstanding and impressive. Well done Tim.
means a lot thanks
The video was consistently entertaining. Tim and Gaby offer realistic analysis of what they encounter always.
Agreed, it's really noticeable how high the quality is!
I notice there are a few others getting on the band wagon but Tim is ahead of the game.. Drone technology might compliment the walks too?
@@TomSzczepanski
ALL THE LIKES & SUBS ARE AFFORDING HIM TO DO JUST THAT.
I love how you let her struggle through the restaurant door with the pushchair, what a gent! 🤣
of course
Gabby is so chatty and fun, and Caspar is such a smiley cutie, that your family vacations are really entertaining to watch.❤
I'm a Merlin Pass holder so go to AT many times during the year. During peak season 4-6 rides in the day is quite normal, out of season i usually do 14-16 rides in the day. The towers used to be open to the public but this year they havent opened at all, sadly. Both Splash landings and the Alton Towers hotel include 9 holes of mini golf with a stay. Also the basic category of room at both hotels only has fans in the room (no A/C) but all rooms above that have now had A/C added. There is also an inside corridor between the two hotels so in the winter, or in bad weather u dont have to go outside.
Great insight!
I've had a 'Walk with me Tim' marathon today 😂.. .been all over the country today..The Bodmin jail looks amazing 👌 great to watch all your videos whilst stuck in on a very rainy day 🌧🌧 Hope you all have a lovely time at Alton Towers 😊
Nice one!
It's great that Casper gets to go on all these holiday locations with you. When they're so little, it's such a special time, when they are all full of wonder, finding out all about the world around them. Looks like you're making the most of this precious time with him
Love your videos! I worked at Alton Towers between 2015 and 2016 and I must admit I absolutely hated it. I worked at both of these hotels including the Enchanted Village. I was a receptionist but felt like a number in a massive corporate wheel. The house keeping team worked really hard but had an unrealistic target to meet. Once a room was cleaned a supervisor or manager would check the room to say it’s good to go. It was always to the nail every day to get the room done, and myself and managers use to help out when the cleaning team was short. The guests were generally lovely but working at the resort was absolutely shocking! Bullying was rife and it caused me to have a mental breakdown. My one advice to any guest it to complain if you are not satisfied with any part of your trip. Alton Towers is expensive and you pay good money for a good product. Alton towers deals well with complaints and will do anything to make you happy! So please just speak to a guest relation manager and tell them if you have any issues. I have known people have full refunds, rook upgrades, free fast tracks and much more just for a simple complaint!
I remember Alton Towers back in the early eighties when it was just the corkscrew and another roller coaster. It was all about the gardens, cable ride and craft centre. Great vlog
thanks, Janine
@@egpxwe had a school trip there and my parents wouldnt sign the consent form for the Corkscrew - I was raging! 😮
What was the name of the dome where you laid on the floor and they played films onto the dome, of wildlife. I remember the giant spider the most urgh!
Wasn't the other ride the black hole
Caspers face going around the rides, he’s so sweet!! Bless him 💕
does this count as a staycation ? 👀
Of course
UA-cam???
Ayo, UA-cam?? Lmao
LOL the term changed a few years back. When people couldn't go far, they would call 300km a staycation.
Wow UA-cam lol
Love seeing your family with you. Seeing Casper smiling at different times is so priceless 😊 Gabby enjoyed herself! This would be a cool place to visit!
Thank you two for sharing Kaspar's delighted smile.
Hi Tim. I’ve only started watching your channel over the past few days so I’m catching up! I must say you are a natural in front of the camera and make your posts interesting and entertaining to watch!
thanks Emma
Welcome to the family
Interesting comparison in the hotels. Both well themed but I agree, Splash Landings would be my preference. You probably need to stay a few days to get the full benefit of the park. It may have already been mentioned in the comments but The Towers have been closed for quite a while with no indication of when reopening, which is a pity. Loved the selfie in the oversized deck chair! Thumps, as usual, was enjoying himself, always a joy to see him. And, as always, another immensely enjoyable video.
Oh we did wonder why thanks barry
Great review Tim, shocking quality given how expensive a weekend will set you back to visit Alton Towers, it looks so old fashioned for the money, we went last summer, we thought exactly the same, cost me, £60 Fuel, £256 hotel one night, £110 theme park tickets, £90 food, £40 gift shop, £556 for one night that flys over then the kids are bored 😂 and thats the quality you get 😮 and some of the rides were down when we went..
The whole place is a joke. Disgusting
Great to see the difference between the two hotels, and an open review of some of the rides. Thanks Tim & Gaby.
I've looked into a short Alton Towers break many times, but the price has always put me off. Now I've seen both hotels via your trip report I'm pleased to say you've saved me from wasting my money. And the water park closes when the theme park closes? Hmm, that irritates me, the pool should be open in the evening so guests can do both without paying for another night to get it all done.
Exactly. I was planning to go with my daughter. It's beyond pricey. I'm so glad I've watched this video. Thank you Tim
The second hotel did look bright and clean, but I gotta tell you, I loved the Steampunk look in the first one. The pipes and gears, awesome.
Hello Tim and Gabby and baby Casper.
I absolutely love watching your videos,I can't afford to get away with the increase of bills etc so I love watching you and seeing all the places you visit .thank you for taking me along with you haha ,keep the videos coming ,lots of love Debs x
Glad you like them!
Clearly rooms need a deep clean more often as well as the daily clean
I love Alton Towers, what a treat it will be to see one of my favorite youtubers roaming around there giving a review on the hotels. I can't wait and will be tuning in! Once again Tim keep up the good work. Hope you, Gabby and the family are all well :)
Hope you enjoy it!
@@WalkWithMeTim well done Tim nice video 😊
Thank you, Tim. We found your channel a few days ago and we really like it. Both your individual tours as well as your trips with the family. 1 million subscribers - let's go! 🍀
Awesome, thank you!
Love how straight Gabby is “I feel a bit mugged off really” 😂😂
Will you speak up to management regarding the lack of cleanliness? I hope so. No matter what price you might be paying,room should be clean. Love your videos. Thank you.
Thanks Tim and Gabby and Casper another great video very interesting and enjoyable to watch look forward to the next Yvonne 😊
Casper is absolutely adorable!!! He’s so happy and so smiley all the time. He’s the sweetest little guy!!!
Glad you've covered it Tim..We did these a few years ago when my kids were younger, stopped in both hotels, done the Santa sleepover which was magical one winter around 2012..The golf was good & the water park in winter which goes outside was awesome..Had a theme room etc and on the whole really enjoyed it as a family..do sort of miss it now they're older but enjoyed your take on it..Keep up the good work, all the best.👍
Thank you
The editing and production on this one is simply glorious. Tim, your videos just keep getting better!
thanks it takes time lol video was supposed to be up Friday
Although the editing has always been good on all you videos. I'm not a person who would know good editing or superior editing, so I like them all. I'm more interested in the theme and the bed test....(: Once stayed in a hotel where I swear the mattress was older than the hotel, which was very old. I've slept on a air mattress that was only half inflated which was better.
Casper is so adorable! So happy! I love your family! ❤️🇺🇸❤️
This is incredible to see Tim! I live in Norfolk so I watch all your Norfolk videos, but was so pleased to see this one pop up! I stayed at the Alton Towers hotel when I was about 9 or 10, and honestly it looks SO similar, but weirdly not as dated as I would have expected. I love how they still have all the Jules Verne themes. Might have to go back again and take my kids after watching this! Thanks for another great vid.
Thinking about it more, it must have been about 1997 that I stayed - so not a lot has changed for a long time lol
Doing a great job Tim...you"re very diplomatic in your reviews! The shoddy hygiene in the rooms is such a turn off and unfortunately it seems to be a common theme in the UK...
Most large hotels can only get kids straight out of school to do this kind of work. Once they realise how bad the job is and how little they actually get paid they quit so big hotels like these get through a relentless turnover of staff.
yes shame its a guess not fair that the cleaners dont have enough time to clean the rooms
I used to work in housekeeping. They get half an hour per room and 13 rooms in total. I was not paid after 3 pm. Sheer pressure. I think its why its minging. I also used to work for towers. Many memories as an employee there 🙂.
Hi Tim , Gaby and Casper. This really makes me realise how behind we are in theme parks compared to Europe and USA. Gaby really makes me laugh. With her youths on the children's ride . I used to love to Alton towers I haven't been since 1998. I must get back there soon . With the hotel i think fair enough it's old but that's not an excuse for general cleanliness. When you got lost made me chuckle 😂😂😂. Love you all thanks for sharing with us. Love to you both as always Tracey 💕 Xxxxx
Absolutely love Casper his smile is so wonderful.
Gabbys brutal reviews are brilliant. You two make great reviews.
Another excellent video from Tim & Gaby. Personally, I preferred the Alton Towers room - the theme was so imaginative, I think kids would adore it. Yes, the Splash seemed cleaner but I hate over-warm rooms so not for me! 🙂👍
Thanks for making these videos! Your editing is top-notch, and it's nice to see some familiar places too
Appreciate it
At least no drama bed bugs
First of your videos I've watched. Really well filmed, presented and edited. Great content, thanks!
Awesome, thank you!
Now THIS is exciting, I went to Alton Towers last Tuesday, I GOT ON 1 RIDE THE WHOLE DAY! I was very disappointed, but very excited to watch this video 🎉❤😅
lol that's the prob we can all say we have been to Alton Towers and have been on very few rides
@@WalkWithMeTim Yea, I got on the Spinball Whizzer which is good enough, I’d love to go on more rides though.
Trouble is, you went in the height of the school trip season! Visit in the spring or in the autumn for the best times to get on loads of rides!
@@stevebrown1974 👍 thank you 😊
Near stone not far from jcb head quarters
Very nice. Gabby makes it a richer experience.
Excellent vlog @Walk With Me Tim loved the intro, a very tight professional looking edit, beautifully shot showing off both park and accommodation, loved some of the quirky room designs but such a shame about the cleanliness aspect, overall i honestly think this is one of the best vlogs you have produced and i definitely think the long format is the way forward as evidenced by 24k views in just 4 hours.
Thanks sir, took a while hence the late upload
I agree
I'm 15 and i personally like the nature part and the parts between rides since it gives more room to set a scene making if feel more unique and higher quality. i managed to go on every ride since our school trip got delayed 2 times last year and we ended up going November 1st and no one was their the queue for wicker man was only about 10 mins.
Aww, Casper's smile ❤ Thanks for a lovely video
I know thanks sue
Nice to get the price!
That rhymes.
It's like the cherry on top at the end of the video😊
I'm a faithful American viewer and I never heard of this place! Interesting video, as always!
Thanks, Sharon its one of the most popular theme parks in the uk
I prefer the first room as the 2nd looks child like and I don't have any that I know of. But there's no excuse for not trying to keep it top notch!
I have been waiting for this for ages. Alton towers is my favorite theme park ❤
Absolutely love these video's keep doing what your doing your ace and casper is living his best life with an awesome dad 👍🍾
Thank you
Definitely in need of a refurb those hotels. Did you complain or? I believe the mesh was added over the monorail windows to hide behind the scenes areas a little bit better as they're in a state. I do miss the days where you could see out of the monorail windows, added to the whole magic and mystique of arriving at the front gates.
No I should have done
If you go to Alton Towers at the right times of the year you can get on most rides with minimal queues. The next quiet period would be weekdays in September and early October up until scarefest. But even with scarefest, the park is open until 9PM, most people leave about 6....last year we got on Wickerman, Rita, Smiler, Thirteen and Oblvion in the space of about half an hour. Start of the season mid weeks is usually quiet too. To answer your question, the most rides I have been on at Alton Towers in one day is over 20.
Wow well Tim!
I wasn't expecting Alton Towers to be like this!
I think I was expecting just big Fairground Rides.
I wasn't expecting all this charm & to be transported into a wanting to be Kid again mentally!
Right, the 1st Hotel the Alton Towers Hotel built in 1996.
I loved the Hippie Colours, all those deep purples & oranges & bright but muted colours.
It certainly had a quirky charm of its own.
The reception area did look magical as you walked in & I liked the look of it from outside.
It was rather rustic & old fashioned but very lovely I loved all the subtle lighting.
I was fancying the Coca Cola Room!
The Carpet did look dated in Hallway & half filled cup outside your room wasn't nice!
Loved the lit up room Numbers.
Your room was quiant I loved the purple.
The bunk beds proper hippie vibes!
Nice for Kids but for Adults too!
What really let the room down was the dirt & the old dated furniture & smelly fridge!
Not a welcome in to what would of been a welcoming room.
Shame because a deep clean & a new Carpet would make all the difference.
Brand New Teddys 🧸 would be an improvement.
The bed was old & badly stained just brand new beds needed!
I just feel like this Hotel needs a deep clean & some new furnishings.
And new Air Conditioning Units.
The view from the window was sublime.
Definitely new carpet in the room needed.
The Bathroom was amazing hippie retro chic!Just deep clean needed again.
Loved the clock theme in the Bathroom reflected in one of the seating areas downstairs full of decorative Clocks!
Loved the retro rustic Lifts.
Lovely Hotel just needs abit of TLC.
Great photo opportunities with the fancy Chairs.
The Entertainment area looks colourful & the Secret Garden Restaurant was lovely I thought.
Outside seating & the lake, far more interesting than I thought it would be.
The Rollercoaster Restaurant was incredible the food flying around was like the stuff of dreams & the food looked such a good variety too!
All bright & full of life & noise!
Not sure what was going on with al the noise!
But I really liked it.
I've never seen a place that makes me want to be a Kid again sooo much!
I'm really sorry I never got to see Alton Towers as a Kid!
Alton Towers itself wasnt nowhere as intimidating as I thought it would be.
The Train was great for kids & Kidults.
Shame it wasn't a beautiful sunny day for you all.
Some July we've had!
Casper looks like he enjoyed himself even if he has never seen Postman Pat before!
Some of the rides were far more dated than I expected like Postman Pat was from my day!
And the Choo Choo train & Night Garden Boat Trip was quite charming but again dated but I prefer it like that.
It reminds me of Happy Mount Park, it's got abit of a timeless quality about it.
So funny how you said alot of Teenagers were on the rides, I would of thought it was more for Kiddies.
But I think everyone goes back to Childhood in Alton Towers.
Shame it takes so long to get thru the queues on the rides.
I agree with Gaby nice to see the grounds I between the rides lovely topiary & bushes & flowers very beautiful!
CBeebies was after my time.
In my time it was Childrens BBC.
It was nice to see the place so busy!
Like the Staffordshire Castle in the grounds adds something substantial to park.
Splash Landing Hotel as you & Gaby said was definitely cleaner than the 1st Hotel.
It had a Singapore vibe from the outside!
Inside lovley bright & colourful.
The Restaurants & Coloured Lights were beautiful.
That Giant Deck Chair was epic!
The water park also epic👌
I would still love to go there just for a drink & something to eat & a stay in a room as a Kidult🤣they'll always be a kid in me!
The Carpet was disappointing looked almost worn away in the corridor, but your room was lovely.
The bed looked alot cleaner.
2nd Hotel had a charm just like the 1st Hotel had but looked abit cleaner.
And no Air Conditioning would suit me as long as the window could open.
And a fan is all that's needed.
Loved the destressed wood effect around the Mirror in your room.
Retro phones!😂
Bathroom full of personality!
Did look clean!
Lovely colourful tiles by the Bath.
Bar & food area again lovley bright colourful & cheerful.
Amazing huge indoor water feature in the 2nd Hotel.
And fab amusement arcade, good for ☔ raining days.
The water park looks cosy!
Even Palm 🌴 Trees outside.
Breakfast looked very yummy made me feel hungry!
The whole Alton Towers Experience was much more than I expected oozing charm interest!
Thanks for showing such an amazing place Tim & allowing my inner child to come out!
Brilliant vlog💜💚❤️🧡💛
We went to Splash Landings with our grandchildren for a birthday in January. We could swim out to the outdoor area, which we did , it was brilliant because it was snowing but the water was so warm that we weren’t cold. We even went down a water slide in the snow and plunging down into the hot water was so lovely. We sat in the hot tub area for ages with the snow coming down on our heads 😂. The room style and the carpet look the same but I’m sure the bathroom is updated and possibly some of the decor in the room. We did love it when we went though
You should have your own tv show. Incredible presenting and very relatable.
thank you .. I do its here on UA-cam lol
@@WalkWithMeTim I think many like me will have only just discovered your channel on here. I think your format would do really well on one of the main tv channels. I almost feel as if I’m there. I’m sure I’m not alone in saying this.
I stayed at the Splash landings hotel about 15 years ago. Brought back lovely memories.
Now this is the one I've waited for. Can't wait. Just going to say it's ya best yet because I know it's going to be epic.
BIG thumbs up for Tim guys ❤
Hi Tim! I worked at Splash Landings in 2011 for five months. Granted things must have changed as its been a long time, for instance, the rooms have obviously been redecorated since.
Things I remember. The hour long bus to work (public bus from Stoke) got us there 50 minutes early so we were forced to sit and wait to start. Passing a probationary period, and thus gaining a magic pass of 20 free tickets (for yourself/f&f) you had to complete 9 room cleans consistently.
I had worked out that if I skipped breaks/lunch I could have 30 minutes to work on each room (room, linen for double bed/two bunks, bathroom and hoovering). Regular snags would be things like; not enough trollies for staff so having to share, being given cleans in family rooms with extra beds, being given VIP rooms (rooms for previous complainants who get their rooms deep cleaned), having to help other housekeepers, guests making a seriously irritating amount of mess, or guests still being in their rooms until the last possible moment....
Basically, I and some others never could pass probation. I managed the 9 rooms on my last day working there, I have no idea what corners I would have had to have cut in order to have managed, I think I got lucky that day because the bunk beds of one of the rooms hadn't been slept in so I shaved some time.
Perhaps also it wouldn't have been so bad if management at the time were prone to shouting you down if you weren't keeping pace. I remember regularly skipping lunch and sneaking/cramming biscuits in the bathrooms in order to not starve, and also being yelled at to the point of crying by bosses. I hated every second I worked there. Gosh I really do hope conditions have improved. Perhaps not in 'Towers Hotel as they seem to be cutting corners in their cleaning. They're probably kids from local towns just trying to make a living, it was prominently 16-18 yo's when I was there who have enough to deal with 🤷
Thank you! This should be the biggest point of videos like this. It is NOT lazy workers cutting corners. It is wealthy employers not allowing employees the proper time to do their job correctly without fear or favour. How anybody can go to Alton Towers after the 2015 Smiler Ride incident is beyond me. The company (Merlin Entertainment) offered their electric engineers incentives to reduce ride downtime. The priority was getting the ride back functional even if the staff member was not 100% sure it was safe as it would impact their salary. The place is dated and has clearly not had any actual investment for some time.
Actually it's funny you say that, because my partner was working on the Smiler during the crash that took place. He worked there for four seasons (4 years) and the crash occurred during his second season. He was randomly assigned to work on Hex that day so wasn't on the ride as staff for that particular day, as Hex were short staffed. He gave me an account of what happened.
"Basically the carriages, or at least a couple of them, needed enough weight to generate enough energy to traverse the loop that the carriage didn't complete. I remember at least one other incident that was the previous season I think where the carriage rolled back while they were just being sent around empty.
"Anyway, the ride was working properly and the carriage after the one that rolled back stalled on the ascent, but neither the operator or technicians for some reason spotted it on the track, not being where it was supposed to be, the technician overrode the safety shutdown and sent the next carriage off. With guests on.
"It was because they added the 5th vehicle partway through operations and sent it around empty, intending to put people on it due to the massive queue time. The op [ride supervisor] was under pressure from upper managers to keep the time down and wasn't experienced enough. The other operator had gone home a couple of hours earlier. No idea who the technician was but the safety features on the ride were so sensitive they were being called back so often to override it it was just complacency."
So basically, the factors were the light weight of the carriages causing the carriages to stall (previously been told the wind would push them to a stop and it happened to be very windy that day), the only operator on shift was newly trained and placed on a busy shift before they were competent, and technician staff kept being called out so they switched off the safety features to push a new carriage through - and because there was an extra empty test carriage on the track that wasn't communicated about properly, and no one spotted it for looking with their eyes (or was trained how to). Lots of pressure on staff causes accidents.
There was a toll on staff morale. Noone was allowed to talk about it. Guests were told not to ask questions and were threatened with removal from rides if they kept joking about it.
My partner found work got harder. Long standing members of staff left. They begged him to keep returning for subsequent seasons, but turnover was so high, and they hired less and less staff, he found himself doing the work of multiple people. And then there was an incident.
So you can totally take this as hearsay from a randomer on the internet, but my partner came home one day and explained that something had happened to him. A guest had lost her debit card and had accused my partner of stealing it as he had handled her bag. Security at Towers had, without checking CCTV, jumped to taking my partner into a cleaning cupboard and strip searched him down to his underwear. The guest found her card in the queue.
My partner started drinking heavily, it was mostly down to stress and not the incident per say, but woke up still drunk at 5:30am one morning when his alarm went off to get the only bus to get him to work on time, and was like, I don't want to go to work anymore. So happy ending, I was like, just don't go in, I'll get you a job at my place (that I was working at the time). And he never went back. The pressure was too much and they did not respect him, kept promising promotion but kept him doing grunt work because he was the only one they could rely on. Until they pushed far too far and he just stopped attending work.
So yeah, Merlin are a corporation under free market capitalism, and put profit before people, that's what I hope is the take away from anybody reading this.
@@osric190 Because the actual park is fun to visit? Why else would people visit? Bit of a stupid comment really. Move on instead of being stuck in 2015
@@dancecommando You had me laughing with the strip search bit 🤣. Was expecting it to get more juicy, never mind 😁
@@SleepExports You think it's ok to just assault people? That's a bit of a hill you're on
I last went to Alton Towers in 1984, just after the Black Hole ride had opened. The queues for Black Hole were so massive I never got near it all day. It seems to have changed a huge amount since then.
There is a nice hotel in crewe it's called Crewe Hall hotel was nice food was really nice cannot beat cooked English breakfast 😋
Have stayed in both hotels in 2006 & 2007 when our two boys were little.
Loved splash landings hotel the best & especially the waterpark, had never seen such a thing in those days!
To be honest I’m surprised at how little the decor in both hotels has changed and yes I can confirm those are still the same carpets!🤢🤮
Great vid as usual Tim, nice one!👍😊❤️
Totally agree
Thanks for another great video and thanks for taking a look round the park 👍🏻
So excited to watch this! I love Alton Towers and can’t wait to make my yearly trip soon! 🎉
Hope you enjoy it!
Casper’s so lucky to have such wonderful parents 😊
Was lucky enough to experience Alton Towers about 15 years ago or so on a day when Peugeot had hired the entire park, got to go on every ride at least a few times, was great :D
Great vid Tim! The voice over in the intro really sets the mood. Good job 😃 PS, I think everyone would agree that your longer videos are really enjoyable to watch, time flys when we tune into your channel lol. People really warm towards you and your family and not just for the content 😊🥳👊🏻😎
Brilliant video Tim and Gabby!
Thank you
My guess is it's dirty because the housekeeping staff have too many rooms and have to rush. Hotels are always trying to keep staff to an absolute minimum.
We stayed in splash landings 20/21 years ago and absolutely loved it as young adults. I did consider the other hotel but thought splash landings looked a lot more fun. I think we went in the cooler months, maybe autumn as I remember enjoying the humidity in that hotel plus they played Caribbean/reggae themed music throughout which really made it feel like you were on your holidays. We went to the theme park in the day and the waterpark in the evening - I cannot recall the timings as it was such a long time ago but we definitely had plenty of time to enjoy both.
Price wise you can go to salue in spain nice hotel one if not the biggest theme park in europe and a good water park,it's a no brainer to me spain everytime who would go to a place thats dirty and cant even clean a room .
Why am I so so hooked on these videos 🤪
Another top quality video Tim.
thanks
Florida Disney world was a great experience loved that time with girls
We stayed in both hotels a good decade ago and it's sad to see they are still not cleaning those rooms as the theming is brilliant. We stayed in a couple of themed rooms and for the price per night you expect it to be clean. Good coverage of the lovely grounds throughout the park 👍
I was going to book cbeebies hotel/resort but i saw reviews of it looking tired, untidy, dirty etc so im very intrigued in this.
its also so expensive for what it is
Yeah, as suspected, it's not convinced me to pay for my family of five to go ha.
Love your videos, grounded, informative and very accessible, keep up the good work guys.
Thanks pete
Abby's knowledge of children's shows is hilarious.. I love it. Looks like a great family time at Alton Towers.
GREAT family vlog thanks guys ! Thumbs up from the Giles family xxx
It’s a shame Merlin charges so much for their hotels. It’s daylight robbery at times
Love this content! Really covers the whole experience. Never done the hotel but glad to have been able to see it through your experience.
As a group we once went to Alton towers and did 30 rides. Albeit we had platinum fast passes but really makes a huge difference on those days where the park is busy! Keep up the good work!
OMG it's big vlog love a bit of alton towers tim
You hit the trending page! Congratulations 🎉
3rd time 3rd video lol
We went in September last year and we managed 6 of the main big rides (I'm not sure if there's 1 we missed out) but that was only because we got there bang on opening and didn't leave until close, and we were persistent with waiting. I do think though that CBeebies Land should have an age restriction for the rides... considering little kids cant go on the big ones and I personally don't feel parents should have to wait 35 minutes because teenagers are hogging the rides... but that's me 🤷♀
i agree with that. The rides should have an age limit, but then how would parents go on with their children.
6 rides in September wow
@@jusmarch3740 that’s true didn’t think of that 😂😂 maybe prove your with a child? 😂
I asked in one of your last videos if you'd ever stay here and here it is! Can't wait to watch, thanks!!
Awesome! Thank you!
Could you not get them to hoover the room Tim great video
thought it would be rude to ask lol
@@WalkWithMeTim lol customer rights
How can you tell the room untidy though this was a premier
Matters not how many nooks & crannies are in a room; they should be thoroughly cleaned. Thanks for sharing your travels. I enjoy your videos so very much.
My partner and I travelled from Sydney Australia last year and regrettably stayed at Alton Towers Resort Hotel.
Due to a major booking error (on the resort's behalf) we were upgraded to an Arctic Room.
Thank God we didn't stay in the Splash Landings Hotel - we walked through it and the chlorine smell and lack of air conditioning throughout was horrendous!
We were completely underwhelmed with our whole stay at this so-called "resort".
How the Merlin Entertainment company can legally get away with this blantant daylight robbery is beyond me.
I pity poor families who spend their hard-earned money here for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation and get ripped off so badly.
The whole place needs demolishing and a complete rebuild.
And our time in the actual theme park was a complete waste of time ... wait times for rides were 120+ minutes!
Basically our 2 days here were spent standing bored as bat shite in lines for rides that actually kept braking down.
Or we spent hours aimlessly walking miles and miles to get to different themed areas and rides.
It was an utterly ridiculous waste of time and good money!
We had a much more memorable (and cheaper) time at Blackpool Pleasure Beach the week earlier - there were hardly any wait times (maybe 5 or 10 minutes), and there are many more rides and coasters than Alton Towers.
We will never ever go back to Alton Towers and have told all our friends to avoid it like the plague ... such a pity!
Hi Tim and Gabby love you both doing the joint videos it works so well because you hit off together 2 great personalities work so well together and not together of course I wish you both lots of success xx
Thanks so much!!
Did you not see the single rider queues for the bigger rides? usually hidden near the exits... You can normally walk on in 5-10mins by filling up the empty seats like a group of 3 on a row of 4. One of you can mind Casper while the other gets a quick ride, then swap over 👍
Thanks for a great video. Agree with you on Splash Landings! Feels like you would need quite a few days to get everything done and enjoy the water park.
Totally agree!