I'd like to praise Alton Towers for hiring such extraordinarily talented males this year. Adds an extra element to the day

I'd also like to praise the entertainment on park this year - it's really great and provides extra enjoyment to the day.  I particularly like the keepers who looked after the ducks that roam about the park and also the man who goes round on the boat

I agree. The park keepers really bring the magic back to Alton Towers. One thing I have noticed also, is that by the lake, as you walk from Mutiny bay to the Towers (by the side of the gardens) there is a little machine where you put in a pound, and then you get some fish food to feed to the fish in the lake. "Feed the fish" it says. I think thats really cool!

Thanks for creating this because
when I went on Monday I found myself really appreciating things where I hadn't before.

Sub Terra was one of my first rides of the day - some SFX had been added in the lift sequence and I think during the hatching - it all just sounded much better. Haze was back in the haunted house and the fog bar was working on the Smiler aswell as the fog in the mine train and under the branch in Hex! I'm one of those people who thinks you can't get enough fog so I always notice whether its there or not The music sounded better in the Oblivion station and the strobe in the Smiler que AND in the tunnel were working. I've not seen them before so it was a nice surprise!! There were a few little things aswell, like the choice of plushes you can win are really cool - you've got Angry Birds and Keepons - so you've got some cool branding in there.
A nice looking lady who I think is supposed to be a bit like Keira Knightly's character from pirates of the Caribbean said good morning to me - Is that the 'Lady Victoria Sponge'? I thought that name was quite funny/creative and to me, sounds like they were working WITH the drama/theatrical group to come up with things (which I always think is good; when you work WITH creative people) - I didn't watch the show though as I was only there for 1 day.

The park keepers
I was on my own so I had to try not to laugh when I saw their car, bubbles pouring out of it, honking away! One of them greeted me. I think these are really good with their dirty faces and their car haha, hope they stay.

Woops I forgot to mention front line staff (Thanks shutterbug!) - pretty much everyone who served me was very nice and talkative, as they were last time I went. What feels good about that is you are being regarded as a human with feelings and you're being taken in good faith. I'm not sure if maybe once in a while you'll get people who don't want to be talked to but as far as I'm concerned I think that's lovely.

Can't fault any staff working in all areas of the park - Never had a bad experience with anyone in the years I've been coming to the park/hotel!

The team in Flambos were particularly helpful when I didn't know what stuff I could eat with my dietary requirements.

There's a couple of nice guys I spoke to briefly before getting on the skyride, Like how one of them welcomed you to Forbidden Valley...Just the small things make a big difference.

ALSO one of the ride hosts of The Smiler cracked me up laughing quite OTT when he was checking seats & making people jump by sneaking up behind them and half shouting "SMILE ALWAYS!!!"

Through my experience of attending both Alton Towers & Thorpe Park for a few years here are my thoughts.

I genuinely believe the staff at Alton Towers are in a completely different league to Thorpe Parks - in a good way. From the staff at the front gate through to the staff running the rides, there is a noticeable difference on how the staff interact with you. You're asked how your day is - the ride staff have a bit of fun over the loud speaker (Run away mine train comes to mind!).

I guess because Alton is a family resort rather than a theme park this is to be expected

I remember a freezing cold day during Scarefest a few years ago and one of the lovely members of staff would start singing "skyride extreme" every time we got off at Cloud Cuckoo Land, just the little things that help brighten up your day 

I have visited Thorpe and Alton a hell of a lot of times and I fully agree staff at the Towers are more professional, helpful, when they ask you how your day is going, they do mean it or are very good at making it sounds like they mean it.

Where as at Thorpe they seem miserable, just there to do it for the money and the guest satisfaction seems to be lower. There are exceptions, but on the whole Towers wins hands down for guest interaction, staff friendliness. I think I have only had one rude member of staff at the Towers, but have had a lot at Thorpe.

I think the staff are great. They're always happy to help no matter what the weather is (generally rainy). They're obviously doing their jobs well because there hasn't been many accidents. They do their best to make us happy and with so little of them compared to the amount of guests. ATR should be proud of the staff that they have employed!

I've yet to go so far this year but what have people got to say about the park for 2014?

I had an experience during Scarefest last year. The SRQ on The Smiler was very small so the man that was doing the pigeon holes remembered my name. He also tried to give me the same hole.

I've been really impressed with the friendliness of all the staff throughout all my visits this year. My out and out favourite is the guy operating the Mine Train - last time I was there with my son he wanted to know if the guy ever went home, as he always seemed to be there. They make me laugh so much as you leave the station #choochoo!!!

Great thread, Great park!

I love what AT do and how they deliver it. It is so easy to negatively critique and focus on the bad points but actually, i always can't sleep the night before and struggle to make myself leave at the end.

The monoral staff are chirpy right from the get-go. Food vendors asking how your day is going, the ride staff vigilantly making sure people are safe and the que is moving.

The rides are just awesome, there's nothing i could write that would do them justice.

If anybody from AT is reading this, thank you for all the memories!

Yesterday I came take from a 3 day, 2 night trip to the theme park and the AT Hotel.
Fantastic. Truly fantastic.

All the staff at the Hotel were so friendly and warm, which made such a difference. The hotel itself was great, really felt magical and different (I'm 18 years old and I was as happy as a child). The rooms were basic but completely clean, and everything that we needed was there. The beds were SO comfy, too.

The staff at the photo desks in the park were, again, super friendly and made my group feel welcomed and valued. The park itself was clean, almost no litter anywhere. The hotel and the gardens behind it were also clean and very well kept, and it was lovely to have a walk round.

The Waterpark was great. The outdoor section was closed on the Friday night, but opened the next day. Master Blaster was a lot of fun, and the staff were always happy and great to chat to. And like the rest of Alton Towers, the water park was spotless.

The queue times for the rides (except the Smiler) were fantastic, especially with the early ride time and the Woodland Walk from the hotel. All of the rides except the Smiler, Sonic Pinball and Th13teen never went above 30 minutes, with Th13teen only getting to about 50 minutes. The weather was great, too, which made our visit even better.

The Pirates of Mutiny Bay show was hilarious, although most of the jokes went straight over the children's heads. All of the actors were fantastic, and didn't miss a single cue. I was actually stood next to Pete Cliff when watching the show, so I complimented the cast to him when I was leaving the area. It really was great. If only the entertainment was as great as that in the hotel!

Oh and the food at the hotel was really quite nice! The Secret Garden was busy in the morning but the buffet was kept SO clean and I could hear staff asking guests not to cross contaminate the food. The Dragon Bar (and surrounding area) was lovely and the staff were ridiculously friendly. It must be a boring job to stand behind a sometimes-busy bar for hours, but they didn't show it! I loved the theming in the Hotel too, with the crashed ship and spinning blades.

Overall, top marks to Alton Towers from me. I'm surprised that I don't have any complaints, as to be honest I never saw Alton Towers as a top quality theme park. However this weekend has reminded me how nice it actually can be. The hotel and park has so much character, and the location of the park is amazing. It has a charm to it that Thorpe Park and other parks around the world don't have. I still can't put my finger on what it is though. Hopefully I'll visit again soon. I live 2 and a half hours away in Aylesbury so it's a long way away, but it was worth every penny.

Great to hear that they are on form at the moment! Let's hope they are next week when I'm there!

I really think the standard of the new attractions have increased. The Smiler would easily compete with US coasters and lasts a good length giving you time to enjoy it. Nemesis Sub Terra (although not the best ride) has a good experience when going through (and has 3 people in the scare maze part) and last time I went on (no queue), I really enjoyed it. Ice Age is a good quality attraction and got rid of that god awful Go Go Go show. Cebeebies Land appears to be a well themed land that hasn't been made too tacky. 13 is good although at £15 million, I would have expected a better ride before the drop (after the drop is brill though) which is why the praise really starts after 13.

I also agree on the staff being really friendly, every time we went to fill our hot drinks thingy, they asked us how our day was etc.