Alton Towers first family aimed coaster for 12 years, and the second family coaster under Tussauds power. Everyone was expecting a lot of Spinball and boy it delivered.

You'll notice Spinball from the Monorail and Towers Street. It's bright colours and themeing draw you, like a drug, towards it. You be presented with a mad spinning coaster where no two rides are the same. Walk through the queue line and you'll be pleasantly surprised with little games to occupy you as you're walking through (NOTE - These will proberly be broken!) Once, you reach the station you'll step into the car, pull the restraint in and hand your bags to the assistant. If it's your first time you'll fell a tad bit nervous, especially if your facing backwards towards the brake run.

Once, your dispatched you'll go down a small drop to turn round to the lift hill. If your facing backwards at this point you'll feel even worse! Then you'll reach the top, the chain will let go and off you spin!

Now I'm not that big (no jokes please!) and I get shaken around A LOT on this ride and I think it's sure you will too. And I will quote from a close friend here 'It's rougher than Nemesis!' He's not wrong! You'll be literally whizzing and spinning round the rest of the ride. A couple of tight helixes, some great air-time drops and a free-spinning car just adds to the action!

40 exciting seconds later, you'll arrive back at the station, shaken not stirred! Get out, collect your photo and treat yourself to a waffle form refresh@spinball!

Falcon...

A unique ride for the park that still packs enough to leave you with a grin when you come back into the station!

Rode the ride twice with friends, both were different. If you're facing backwards then to be going up the chain lift facing backwards is a really odd feeling ... but then you get to the top and have no idea what's coming .... now that's great!

And then the spinning starts!! As it's based on simple gravity & weight then you will get a different ride. First time we rode was fairly sedate, even then it was still fun. Went up one of the banked U-turns facing forward without spin which meant coming down it facing backwards! Messes with your head hehe!

Second time we switched around with a LOT of spin resulting. To go down the big drops facing forward is ok, facing backwards is well .. odd ... to be going down them facing sideways! is just wacky!! but great fun!

You never know how you'll take the next bend with the spin!
Well, it's different to all the other rides in the park and one most folks can ride.
Gets a thumbs up in my books!

A rather different ride experience, I must admit. The ride experience starts in the queue line, Spinball Whizzer is quite tall and this is exaggerated by the fact that you are standing underneath it. When a 'Whizzer car' goes over the first set of brakes you see some of the support structure move a bit, not something that really appealed to me!

Then there are the queue line games, these are as simple as: press the button, watch where the ball goes. An amusing diversion from the wait, but they don't always work (read: they almost never work) Now that you know that the wait will be long, allow me to introduce you to the soundtrack to the ride. There will be songs playing from the 60's and 70's, interrupted frequently by some over-enthusiastic person shouting things like 'Woohoo, what a ride!' and by modern dance music. What happened to custom soundtracks?

The theming on the ride is horrible, what theming there is. All that the theming comprises of is a couple of silver balls on the grass, a sign that was cut too small for the shed that it is supposed to hide and a couple of plastic bumpers in the roof of the station. The roof of the station is like a warehouse and looks half-finished.

Once on the ride it is a different story though. The lift-hill is a reasonable speed and the drops are good, thrill-seekers will enjoy Spinball Whizzer as it is a very different experience to thos offered on typical roller coasters. Children will enjoy it because it has no inversions and doesn't go too fast. Spinball Whizzer could have used more of the elements that the manufacturer had at their disposal. Thesee-saw element would have been a fantastic addition to the ride, as would some real scenery.

The spinning adds some fun to Spinball Whizzer but it can catch you off-guard although it is quite gentle most of the time.

Overall Spinball Whizzer is a very good ride but wasn't well thought out in terms of the experience or the magic of Alton Towers.

First time riders: Sit at the front, then you will go up the lift-hill forwards and see the first drop coming.
Thrill-seekers: Sit at the back so you don't see the first drop coming.

I think Spinball is a briliant ride however not worth queueing for more than 30 minutes for especially if you've ridden it before. I really like the pinball themeing that comes with it. Just a shame those games in the Q line never work!

The actual ride is very fun and more thrilling than i thought it would be. A great addition to the park and a great ride for families as most will be able to have a car with just themselves in.

My first ride on this today and i loved it.

It was so much fun and the ride that was totally diiferent the 2 times i rode it.

In the stationi felt excitement swarm over me added with a slight bit of anxiety. The first time i rode SW i rode on the front. It was fantastic 'whizzing' up the lift hill and the first drop is pure fun. Up to the setion above the second drop i felt amazing. I was laughing shouting and having so much fun. Then we swooped down the amazingly high drop to the vertical banked turn. It wasn't as good as i expected, but more was to come. Getting ready to go through the vertical banked turn was cool and one as my favourite parts of the rides and you twist right then left. The small helix though was my favourite part of the ride. Zooming around and around and around screaming infront of onlooking queuers is hysterical.

On my second ride i felt as if it were more intense and fasterthan the previous. This time postioned backwards it was great to suddenly whip down the first drop not knowing when it comes.

Overall an amazing well themed, family freindly + thrill ride that will be sure to have you in hysterics.

9/10 - The funnest ride at AT.

I have been on Spinball Whizzer many times and each ride is just as exciting as the first. The queue line is very interactive with the ride will most of it being situated under the ride its self. Throughout the queue line there are pinball machines for you to play with and make the queue that little bit more interesting.

You can either sit forwards or backwards for the lift hill and personaly i think forwards is the better option as it gives you the feeling of falling off the end of the track when you reach the top of the lifthill. After boarding you leave the station and go down a small drop which then leeds in to a sharpe turn into the lifthill.

After the lifthill your in for a mad ride of twists and turns in many directions and each ride is slightly different meaning the ride is very re-rideable. After all the screams of joy you hit the breaks and re enter the station. Your onride photo is then avaiable next to the exit of the ride.

I would say this is a great ride for all the fmaily and the only thing that lets the ride down is the lack of themeing. Other than that its a great fun attraction.

8/10

You can't help but love this ride. Walking through the entrance it is there just sceaming to you come to me first which of course works. The Q line can get quite long sometimes. If the Q line is too long they have staff at the Q warning how long you'll be Qing for. There are a few amusments in the Q line half of which dont work half of which do and makes a anoying noise but hilarious to do when you're bored. When your at the station i prefer to sit backwards you'll get in the "spin ball" and off you go as soon as your set off the actual spinball will actually start rotating but only slightly depending on the weight it is carrying. from the lift to the end of the ride you'll be laughing your head off it is so much fun and so funny such a great way to start the day, also if your with quite a big group its likely you'll have more then one spinball to and it is so very hard to avoid looking over at the other carts to see your friends priceless expressions it is quite short but never fails to amuse just dont go on it if you have just finnished eating, every ride is different. When you get off this ride you'll still be laughing with your mates and leads to a great atmosphere between you all from the start to the end of the day everyone should go on this ride at least once in the day. 10/10

The ride is awesome, but it’s a shame because it’s so good, everyone’s queuing for it. The worst part has got to be queuing. When you’re near the station, These annoying words repeat over & over again - Woohoo , Please exit to your right and take your valuables with you , Thank you for riding Spinball Whizzer(sounds like an aussie) Woohoo!
Part from that WELL ACE 9/10

Williscroft: edited for spelling and grammar

This is a cool little coaster, the themeing's not too bad, but compared to that of Nemesis or Oblivion it doesn't even come close. None of the que line pinball type games where working when we where queing - and the coaster broke down for about 10-15 minutes. What a ball ache! Its worth a blast though. One thing I particularly liked about it was the way the coaster slowed then sped up as it hurtled around tight corners then slowed again - cool little coaster.

Spinball Whizzer is probably the best family thrill ride at Alton Towers.

It’s a very good ride when you want a waltser type ride which spins, turns, and quickly turns round corners Spinball Whizzer is the one for you.

The restraints feel a little unsafe as you don’t get much protection for your upper body.

The ride queue can get quite long which is not satisfying for us and some other people .

This ride is not suitable for under 8s even if they meet the height requirements as it can be a bit rough at times.

I like this ride very much and would persuade any one to go on it I give it 8/10

Williscroft: Edited for spelling and grammar

This ride is truely amazing. It keeps you on your toes the whole time. I went on it 3 times and it really is a bit of a shock to you. I really enjoyed it the first time, but to me it is a ride where it is a thriller at first then I dont go on it that often.

Lauzi: EloiseG, just to let you know, I've had to delete quite a few of your posts, due to ride experiences, instead of ride reviews. Try to explain the ride to other people, instead of telling them what you did on it. Also, try not to use txt language. Thanks

This ride is truly amazing. You either love this ride or hate it. The queue line is always long, but it doesn't stop me going on it. You get in your little car, (be warned if you are in a group of 3 or less be prepared to share with other people) and then whizz off to the lift hill. You can see for miles when you go up the lift hill, so take a glance whilst journeying up it. Then you whizz round all the helixes and turns,until you finally get to the station.

Lauzi: Added spaces after commas

Hilariously Good Fun!
____________________________________________________________________
Review:

The ride looks very entertaining from a distance! And it also it to ride aswell You enter the queue to some excellent classic songs like the Beach Boys -Barbra Ann. You ride in cars with 4 seats and move very quickly to the top of the lift. Then going down various helixes, drops and rises that for some reason make you want to laugh your socks off! You enter the breaks feeling some what satisfied and certainly cheerey! A great ride, its more intense than it looks!

____________________________________________________________________
Pros:

Fun, Good Music, Re-Rideable, good for all

____________________________________________________________________
Cons:

Long queues, poor throughput, lack of theming

____________________________________________________________________
Tips:

Use the single riders queue

____________________________________________________________________
Rating:

Id say a well deserved 8/10