The Smiler — Attraction in Staffordshire Moorlands

The Smiler can be described in 2 words. Incredibly Fun. It isn't perfect but I always come out Smiling. The Smiler is well known for being the first coaster to feature 14 inversions, which is 4 more than any other coaster in the world. It is also known for being the first Infinity Coaster manufactured by the German company, Gerstlauer. The first impressions of the ride are great. The theme is amazing but unusual, and the tangled mess of track with a massive theming element in the middle called the marmalizer can be quite intimidating. The queue goes underneath the ride giving you amazing views. Then you go into a dark queue house with creepy illusions and the great soundtrack being played over and over again! Eventually, you'll make it to the station and you'll start the ride. The station is elevated so you will have to climb a flight of stairs to get there but because of that, the layout starts with drop into the dark with strive lights and then you go into the first inversion, a heartline roll which starts out the ride. And it's always fun to hear people screaming before the lift hill and that is definitely what happens on this ride. Then you climb up an incline lift and then you dive right into a downward corkscrew. There are 6 inversions in this first half. In order, they are: 1 Downward Corkscrew; 2 Dive Loops; 1 Batwing ; and 1 Corkscrew. After the second dive loop there is a small airtime bill which gives some decent airtime but other than that, it's inversion after inversion. Now then there is a block brake and then a vertical lift hill common to Gerstlauer's Eurofighters. Now at this time, another train could be climbing up the first bill so the 2 trains could duel through the layout which is awesome. The second half is similar to the first half but it doesn't feel that repetitive and the layout still feels unique. The 7 inversions of this half are as follows: 1 Downward Corkscrew; 1 Sea Serpent Roll; 1 Cobra Roll; and 1 Double Corkscrew. And similar to the first half, there is an airtime hill which provides some good airtime. Overall, The Smiler is a good ride. The layout is unique and has many near miss elements with other pieces of track and the main theming element, the marmalizer. However, the ride isn't exactly smooth. It's not awful or really painful. However there are some distinct vibrations and you can get a bit of headbanging. Also, the ride isn't the most forceful. You do pull some G-forces on some inversions but you like this ride because it is fun. I enjoyed this ride. It's my second favourite rollercoaster at Alton Towers, behind Nemesis and it complements their lineup, giving them a classic looping coaster with a...

The whole day seemed to start off bad as when we arrived, we found out "Smiler" and "Nemesis" were out of action. We queued 1 hour for Rita and upon reaching the very front of the queue (literally the next customers to ride it) were were told there were technical difficulties and that we could stay and wait if we'd like to and they'd give us updates. Obviously, being at the front, we decided to wait, only to be told about 15 minutes later that the ride was shut down indefinitely, and we had to leave the ride. During the confusion, I lost my partner and kids, who were holding my mobile, and it took me around 90 minutes to find them again.

That aside, we overheard some people mentioning that Smiler had opened at 5pm and was going to run for 1 hour until the park closed. So we finished our ride on the runaway train and ran to Smiler. We arrived about half past 5 to queue for "The Big one".

One of the most disappointing parts of the day was the fast track passes. There were so many people using them that the normal queues weren't hardly moving. Once they closed the gates at 6pm and the fast track emptied, we finally got moving.

The ride itself is absolutely fantastic. It seems to go on forever with so many twists and turns. It's definitely the best ride I've been on, although, at 44 years of age I've been suffering with whiplash these past few days so I recommend not trying this ride if you're a little brittle like myself.

So to recap, 5 stars for the ride but 1 star for being closed all day amd this was the one ride we all wanted to go on. I understand there's maintenance issues but, come on, there were at least 4 of the big rides out of action...

The smiler opened in 2013 and was and is the world record holder for most inversions on any rollercoaster. It is the first of manufacturer gerstlaugher's infinity coasters and features seating in 4 rows of 4.

As you walk toward the ride you see the track twisting and turning in every direction over and under itself and can hear the soundtrack developed by ima score which features chaotic laughter to an unsettling beat. You enter the queue line which is rather basic but this can be forgiven as you get incredible views of the ride and have a room filled with many effects at the end.

Once you have got to the front of the queue you give all your baggage into a booth including everything in your pockets. (Please do not ride with your phone it is extremely dangerous and can hospitalise people queuing or on the ride if it hits them). You then walk up some stairs into the station building. From here you board one of 4 rows and pull down your over the shoulder restraint.

The ride starts with a curved drop to the left followed by an inversion inside before waiting as the soundtrack blasts. You then head up the first lift hill before completing 6 inversions. All of which are incredibly smooth and very fun. You then head into the rides vertical lift hill and then into 7 more inversions before entering the brake runs. The ride also features two hills which provide a brilliant weightless sensation.

Overall the ride is incredibly smooth and enjoyable. The ride looks amazing with its centrepiece the marmaliser being the main focal point. I really enjoy the smiler and thoroughly...