Alton Towers - chancers?

spaceman5

blue_monkey wrote: »

My kids have been going to theme parks since they were little, and as soon as they are tall enough to get on the coaster, they do. Our holidays are going to theme parks because it's a thrill and exciting and something different for usual every day life. We can go to the local fair and go on the tea cups - in fact they can go to town on Saturday and ride the tea cups - where is the fun in that.

Next year we are off to Florida again because both my kids are able to get on the inverted coasters. Then we'll have a break until they are teens and they can get on the hanging coasters. Oh, they are 7 and 8.

You think the parks are expensive here, try £250 for a 3 weeks ticket into Disneyland - each - and £85 for a 2 week pass into Universal.

There are loads of BOGOF offers around for all the parks but ultimately, the price will rise on 'standard' entry to account for these being used. We stayed at Alton Towers hotel for £152 with Breakfast and 2 days park/pool admission for 4 of us.

True but for those prices you get access to 4 parks for 3 weeks, so split that down you are only paying £11 per day for disney if you went every day, if you went to alton towers every day on the cheapest ticket for 3 weeks it would cost you £642:eek:, and that is booking online and getting you a discount, so disneyland is far more value for money, if you take out the cost of getting there and accomodation:D, and i am not knocking alton towers as i like it, but having taken my kids to florida a couple of years back there is no comparison, if we had the money we would do florida again in a heartbeat, but alas for the next few years we have not got the money to do alton towers nevermind disney

spaceman5

spaceman5 wrote: »

True but for those prices you get access to 4 parks for 3 weeks, so split that down you are only paying £11 per day for disney if you went every day, if you went to alton towers every day on the cheapest ticket for 3 weeks it would cost you £642:eek:, and that is booking online and getting you a discount, so disneyland is far more value for money, if you take out the cost of getting there and accomodation:D, and i am not knocking alton towers as i like it, but having taken my kids to florida a couple of years back there is no comparison, if we had the money we would do florida again in a heartbeat, but alas for the next few years we have not got the money to do alton towers nevermind disney

The scary thing is, i just got a quote of the alton towers website to stay in 1 of their hotels for 20 days(can only book 5 days at a time, so got a 5 day quote and multiplied it by 4) on a bed and breakfast basis and the quote came back at £6833.20:eek:, also got a quote to go to disneyland through travel city direct for the same 20 days, including tickets for all disney parks inc water park for 20 days, hotel on international drive, again bed and breakfast basis, flights, car hire, and the quote came back at £4873, so you can do 20 days at disneyland florida, and get the enjoyment of 6 parks for £2000 cheaper than doing 1 park in our own country:eek:, i know which one i would do, and the £2000 saved would go towards our spending money for food, souveniers etc:D

blue_monkey_2

spaceman5 wrote: »

True but for those prices you get access to 4 parks for 3 weeks, so split that down you are only paying £11 per day for disney if you went every day, if you went to alton towers every day on the cheapest ticket for 3 weeks it would cost you £642:eek:, and that is booking online and getting you a discount, so disneyland is far more value for money, if you take out the cost of getting there and accomodation:D, and i am not knocking alton towers as i like it, but having taken my kids to florida a couple of years back there is no comparison, if we had the money we would do florida again in a heartbeat, but alas for the next few years we have not got the money to do alton towers nevermind disney

No it isn't - it would be £85 cos you'd sort it in advance and buy an annual pass which lasts a year. AND you can go to Chessington, Legoland, etc... for an entire year.

We are being frugal to get to Florida but it's something we want to do again as when the kids are teens they'll be wanting to go for the rides and not for it being 'Disney'.

DLP has got better rides than Florida, if you can get a deal it's worth going there.

And 3 weeks at AT, not a chance, it's not really the same is it?

spaceman5

blue_monkey wrote: »

No it isn't - it would be £85 cos you'd sort it in advance and buy an annual pass which lasts a year. AND you can go to Chessington, Legoland, etc... for an entire year.

We are being frugal to get to Florida but it's something we want to do again as when the kids are teens they'll be wanting to go for the rides and not for it being 'Disney'.

DLP has got better rides than Florida, if you can get a deal it's worth going there.

And 3 weeks at AT, not a chance, it's not really the same is it?

I know u would not do at for 3 weeks but wanted to see which one worked out cheaper and was surprised by how much cheaper it was to go to America it was than 2 stay in this country, we also want to go again but tgat won't be for another 9 years or so

Valli

artichoke wrote: »

so why do people go to these places? I have seen posts from adults who want to go themselves but I have never been so dont know what the attraction is?

At what age do kids demand to go the theme parks?

I feel angry that schools put Alton Towers offer leaflets into primary school book bags.... i did not ask for my kids (age 6 and 7) to be exposed to such blatent advertising!

We live in Peak District so relatively near to Alton Towers but we have never been. If it was not for those adverts in the book bags the kids would not even know what Alton Towers was, so would not ask to go.

I am wondering at what age pester power will force us to go...dh and myself dont have any desire to go on the rides so we will resist going as long as we can.


They have been to Gullivers at Matlock Bath but my 6 year old did not want to go on any of the rides (apart from Tea cups and flying elephants) so paying for her to go to Alton Towers would be a complete waste of money.

Anyway i just wondered why people went if they thought they were so expensive??

art

Derbyshire (and I presume Staffordshire) schools get leaflets sent out by Alton Towers; usually with some incentive/offer.

Having said that they need to be a certain height so I would never have taken my kids that young. I've been once (on an offer) and wouldn't go again because I would be paying that much to walk round and look.

blue_monkey_2

spaceman5 wrote: »

I know u would not do at for 3 weeks but wanted to see which one worked out cheaper and was surprised by how much cheaper it was to go to America it was than 2 stay in this country, we also want to go again but tgat won't be for another 9 years or so

I started typing more than got side tracked, if you are comparing like for like though you'd be staying in a travelodge for 3 weeks though and it would not be 6k, maybe £1000 plus your Merlin passes - a cheapie on Int Drive would be the same a Travelodge up the road.

I won't turn it into a Florida thread, it would be easy to, but I won't. We do not drink, smoke, have many days out or smoke - you have to have some enjoyment in life and ours is the occasional holiday.

blue_monkey_2

Valli wrote: »

Derbyshire (and I presume Staffordshire) schools get leaflets sent out by Alton Towers; usually with some incentive/offer.

Having said that they need to be a certain height so I would never have taken my kids that young. I've been once (on an offer) and wouldn't go again because I would be paying that much to walk round and look.

We get the Legoland ones in the school bags too - the other way around for us as I think Legoland is more for little ones, I get bored there. It's still cheaper to use the BOGOF from food packets though.

artichoke

what is the height restrictions for alton towers?

just so i can tell my kids they are too small if they ask!

art

mum26

1.4 for the big rides like Nemesis, Air, Rita etc
1.2 for Th13teen and Sonic

There are quite a few things for younger children to do, we have children ranging in age from 6 to 15 and they all enjoy Alton Towers. I think it would benefit from more little playgrounds dotted about though so if one parent is with the children while the other is queuing for a ride they can play.

Blobby8_2

artichoke wrote: »

what is the height restrictions for alton towers?

just so i can tell my kids they are too small if they ask!

art

6 feet one inch
HTH