Alton Towers

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Disagree. They are mostly really PP value for money given the quality of the visit. Family of 3 kids over 12 {which given the height restriction on 1.2 metres on many rides > 12 years}, 2 adults runs to about £150. If you don't want to spend 95% of your 8 or so hour visit queueing, you may buy a few fastrack tickets (stick another £20+ on). The onsite food is very poor value and generally low quality. On top of this they now want you to pay to park? Are you having a bl**dy laugh????!!!:mad:



A few seasons ago you used to be able to use a season ticket across the whole Tussauds estate (Thorpe/Chessington/Alton Towers/Madam Tussauds & Warwick Castle). They did away with this with the introduction of 'Merlin' - much more expensive than the preceeding season tickets. Whilst Merlin adds a couple of extra 'attractions' (The 'hole' that is Legoland being one of them) they cost between 2 and 2.5 times more. You can get a single site Season ticket for a little more than the 'old skool' version, but it really is bad value compared like-4-like with what was on offer just a few years ago. The selling point of a season ticket is 'You get free parking'? Err, HELLOOOOOOOOOO!!!

The charge may currently be £2 per car for the day, but once people accept this as 'ok', it opens the door for year on year increases. Jesus, in my opinion these middle eastern tyrants must really be feeling the pinch of the recession if they have got to start picking pockets for parking!

I guess we have a very different idea as to what 'good value for money' is.

Whilst i can see you going with your kids would only be at the busiest times of the years but we managed to go to most of the theme parks they own at least 3 times a year and thorpe park about 6 times or so depending on days off through the week - Im getting top value for my money thanks and the pass more then pays for itself.

£300 = 2 x passes.

easily 10 visit to their parks per year so that works out about £15 per visit. Outstanding value.

pompeyrich

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

Alton Towers and most of the big theme parks and attractions are all owned by the same company anyway.

And they do ask you to pay to park at most of them.

My original post was from Aug 2009, Thorpe Park introduced a £2 parking fee this year and no doubt Legoland and Chessington will soon follow suit.

Mr_Oink

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

£300 = 2 x passes.

easily 10 visit to their parks per year so that works out about £15 per visit. Outstanding value.

Disagree. It points to what appalling value normal prices are. You also missed the point that once you've been there once, there is little need to repeat the experience. Of course some adults and children might not find the repetition boring and consider £1000 worth of Merlin passes to be good value for around 60 minutes of ride time in a year.

Thankfully for Tussauds, some people are easily pleased.....

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Disagree. It points to what appalling value normal prices are. You also missed the point that once you've been there once, there is little need to repeat the experience. Of course some adults and children might not find the repetition boring and consider £1000 worth of Merlin passes to be good value for around 60 minutes of ride time in a year.

Thankfully for Tussauds, some people are easily pleased.....

But they invest quite heavily in the new attractions - these are not cheap. If you dont think £15 a visit is not good value then your mistaken.

some of us like rollercoasters you know and the repetition never gets boring.. i just wish AT had some old faves there but i guess you have to fit new rides somewhere. and as for 60 mins of rides a year? you must be mad - we can get that in a day if we go at a really quiet time if not more

Mr_Oink

Jeff_Bridges_hair wrote: »

some of us like rollercoasters you know and the repetition never gets boring.

Really? I guess whatever floats your boat. There are all kinds of people in the world with different fetishes, but this is a *money saving* forum :cool:

IMHO £1000 per annum is bad value for a family of five to visit a relatively static set of 'attractions' a few times in a year. I can't say if it's just 'too much money' to spend hours in queues, spend a pile of low grade food and get just a few minutes 'ride' time per visit for everyone, but I guess people have been voting with their wallets, hence the need to up revenue with the introduction of car parking charges.

The only 'theme' that seems to run through most of the Tussauds 'Theme parks' is, in my opinion, 'RIP OFF'. It used to be slightly less obvious what bad value for money the 'experience' was - but adding charges and dipping pockets at every turn has made it so 'in your face' that I for one have crossed it *off* the list of things to do next year.

pulliptears

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Really? I guess whatever floats your boat. There are all kinds of people in the world with different fetishes, but this is a *money saving* forum :cool:

A forum which thankfully you are not required to be on the breadline to use. There is nothing here that stipulates people with more disposable income than others are not allowed to have opinions.:cool:

Mr_Oink

pulliptears wrote: »

A forum which thankfully you are not required to be on the breadline to use.

Is there a suggestion of that? If you are going to quote me and attribute something to me, please be correct in fact.

pulliptears wrote: »

There is nothing here that stipulates people with more disposable income than others are not allowed to have opinions.:cool:

Opinons are like backsides, everyone has one - did you have one on Alton Towers you wished to share, or are you just morally preaching from Self Righteous Towers?

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Really? I guess whatever floats your boat. There are all kinds of people in the world with different fetishes, but this is a *money saving* forum :cool:

IMHO £1000 per annum is bad value for a family of five to visit a relatively static set of 'attractions' a few times in a year. I can't say if it's just 'too much money' to spend hours in queues, spend a pile of low grade food and get just a few minutes 'ride' time per visit for everyone, but I guess people have been voting with their wallets, hence the need to up revenue with the introduction of car parking charges.

The only 'theme' that seems to run through most of the Tussauds 'Theme parks' is, in my opinion, 'RIP OFF'. It used to be slightly less obvious what bad value for money the 'experience' was - but adding charges and dipping pockets at every turn has made it so 'in your face' that I for one have crossed it *off* the list of things to do next year.

They do not just do theme parks though.

Merlin Annual Passes allow entry to Alton Towers Resort Theme Park, LEGOLAND® Windsor THORPE PARK, Chessington World of Adventures, Madame Tussauds London, Warwick Castle and The Merlin Entertainments London Eye, SEA LIFE Centres & Sanctuaries and The Dungeons.

that is what they do so even if you only visited each of them once you are still getting a good discount on the entry price of each attraction and then the discounts on food and the refillable drink for the kids which costs a tenner but stops you from ever paying for another drink for a year.

There are plenty of sea life centres too and each one is slightly different and the dungeons are great and very different from each other.

just because you dont think it, doesnt mean its a rip off...

pulliptears

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Is there a suggestion of that? If you are going to quote me and attribute something to me, please be correct in fact.


Opinons are like backsides, everyone has one - did you have one on Alton Towers you wished to share, or are you just morally preaching from Self Righteous Towers?

I've already shared my opinion thanks, further up if you bothered to read.

And yes, there is a suggestion of that in your comment of

this is a *money saving* forum

So I do feel I'm quite correct in fact thank you very much. Or are you just feeling especially argumentative today Mr oik?

Jeff_Bridges_hair

Mr_Oink wrote: »

Really? I guess whatever floats your boat. There are all kinds of people in the world with different fetishes, but this is a *money saving* forum :cool:
.

Quite right . It is. .That's why the annual pass SAVES you money from the normal ticket price.

And there you have it - MONEY SAVED.

Is that clear enough for you mr oink?