I thought I'd do a review of Alton Towers because it will give me a lot to write about and I went there quite recently for the first time and enjoyed it very much. I haven't written in this kind of category before and only now do I see how much there actually is to write, so here goes:
Alton Towers Theme Park is the most famous theme park which has been successfully running since 1980. The park is set high in the hills of Alton in Staffordshire and it is so well hidden amongst the trees that if the queues and queues of cars within a few miles of the place weren't there you'd never notice it! The theme park is expanding and has increased vastly since it's opening in 1980. The buying up of the theme park has caused more and more money to be put into the park which is only good for thrill seekers! The amount of new rides is increasing but at the expense of the admittance fees. The higher fees by no means stops people from visiting though with still around 2.5 million visitors each year. It is easy to find directions to it from where you live just by using online guidance websites.
|:| Opening Times |:|
The theme park is open this year from the 17th March through until 11th November. This gives riders the nice hot British summer time to enjoy the rides with preferably less rainfall but being Britain I doubt it. The gates to the park open at 9.30am and the rides and other attractions open at 10:00am. To make the most of your money and your day I would suggest getting there on time or it will seem wasted. When I went we got there at around 1 o'clock and because of that we didn't get around everything we wanted to. The closing times vary throughout the time it is open so check online or when you get there to see how long you will have to enjoy it!
|:| Prices |:|
The cost of getting into the park these days is very expensive so trips there I presume for most families would be few and far between. There are many different prices as the cost changes depending upon how you pay and when you want to go. There are three sets of prices, normal day ticket, event day ticket and buying online. The prices are as follows:
Adult Normal Day Pass: £32 Event Day Pass: £34 Buying Online: £24
Child (A child by Alton Towers' standards is seen as Under 12) Normal Day Pass: £22 Event Day Pass: £23 Buying Online: £16
Senior Normal Day Pass: £16 Event Day Pass: £17 Buying Online: £12
Disabled Normal Day Pass: £16 Event Day Pass: £17 Buying Online: £12
There are two family packages available as well as the single tickets which are available for two adults and either two or three children, the prices are:
Family (with two children) Normal Day Pass: £89 Event Day Pass: £95 Buying Online: £78
Family (with three children) Normal Day Pass: £99 Event Day Pass: £105 Buying Online: £88
The family packages are quite useful as they can save you a lot of money compared to buying each ticket individually. Also the option of buying cheaper online is good as it allows you to again save a little bit more to try and make the day even more worth it! Under 4s are given free access to the park but obviously you'll need to take somebody to look after them while you go on the more adult rides so maybe not a great idea. As well as the admission prices there are also car parking fees which are around £5 depending on when you visit so it's useful if somebody drops you off and doesn't stay. There are drop off points but they are quite a way from the car park, we got someone to go into the car park and drop us off then drive out, nobody complained.
There are many offers available for getting cheaper or even free tickets. The only reason I went recently was that my friend had got four free tickets from their parents through Tesco Clubcard points, I never realised you could get such useful things from using those cards! There are other offers too but I am unsure as to any specifically, check online and you'll find some deals.
As well as the tickets there are a couple of other things that you may wish to pay for, just in case you feel you haven't spend enough yet. There are shortcut tickets to get you on rides quicker, these are:
Shortcut: Thrills This will get you in the shortcut queue for Air, Nemesis, Obvlivion and The Flume once each while you're at the theme park. This is ideal for those of you who love the thrill rides and don't like the waiting times! There is a 1.4 metre height limit for all of these rides.
Shortcut: Family: This ticket will get you into the shortcut queue for Duel, Corkscrew, The Runaway Mine Train
and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. This is obviously an ideal one for the family, not sure Corkscrew is one for the little 'uns but what do I know? There is a 1.2 metre height limit for these rides.
Shortcut: Unlimited: This ticket works just like the Thrill shortcut ticket only it works over and over again, hence the Unlimited name tag. This is those who just cannot get enough of one of the rides and love going on it again and again. There's still a 1.4 metre height limit.
Rita Speeding Ticket: This will get you to jump the queue for Rita: Queen of Speed one of th most recently added rides. This is for those speed freaks who love this ride and don't want to wait. There can be very long queues for it and it takes several minutes just to walk around the queue walkway when there's nobody there so this to save your legs as well!
X-Celerator: This will get you a one time queue jump of any of the rides, excluding those in Old MacDonald's Farmyard. This is perfect for people only planning on going on each ride once as you'll be able to fit loads more into your day.
Each of these can be bought at the gate or around the park for varying prices. They seem to be about £7 from sellers hanging around outside the rides that are mentioned on the pass. You are sometimes lucky enough to find them giving them away but then there's a whole load of other people with free tickets so it doesn't help much!
As well as this there is now a 'Your Day DVD' option available which has caused a lot of criticism from the press as this DVD package films you going all around the park from their cameras all around the park. You get a 20 minute DVD of your day there and all the rides you went on too. This is ideal if your kids tend to want the souvenir photos as you can just get it all in one package with this. Electronically tagged wristbands are put on the user and cameras follow them wherever they go.
|:| The Park |:|
The park itself is huge and made up of lots of different sections to make it a bit easier to remember where you are. Each of the different sections has different things to offer you, most of the rides are pretty spread out which is quite annoying when you want to go on certain ones. It pays to plan ahead but you have time while waiting in queues to do all that so you don't need to do it beforehand really. Getting around is simple enough, walk! There are two skyride lines taking you between three different sections. These are handy as it takes you between the furthest away parts of the park. Here's a runthrough of the sections of the park.
Well getting into the park itself is always a nice place to start. From the car park you will see a lot of people all heading for one point, go to that point. They should take you to the monorail which is the easiest way to avoid the long walk down to the park. It may be useful on the way out to avoid getting the very last one and try and go a while before because it gets very busy towards the end. After your trip on the monorail you get to the entrance where you have to pay. Yes, you can go on the monorail for free! This leads you down to 'Towers Street' which is a row of guest service shops who look after lost property and other such things.
Old MacDonald's Farmyard and Cred Street are the perfect places for the young visitors. As you can probably assume from the name, Old MacDonald's Farmyard is a few farmyard oriented children's rides. Children's rides are available at Cred Street too which contains the new Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ride along with some other smaller rides. This area is a bit like a carnival with a carousel and a playground. It also has a large MacDonalds for lunchtime.
Forbidden Valley, Ug Lang and X-Sector contain more of the thrill rides as Nemesis, Air, Rita, Corkscrew, Oblivion and others reside within them. Unfortunately they are a little separated from one and other so take them one section at a time getting all of the rides in one area done before going to another.
The Towers and The Gardens are some of the more relaxing places. Take a walk around the Alton Towers if you dare or take a walk around the pretty gardens next to them. The skyride takes you over lovely views of the gardens so if you want it all without the effort, take a few rides on the skyride!
Katanga Canyon and Merrie England contain the two largest water rides in the park. Katanga Canyon is home to the River Rapids ride which is always a bit of fun. I've been on one of these at Drayton Manor which was very similar. Don't go on if you don't want to risk of getting wet. Merrie England contains the Flume which is a dead certainty to get you wet so go on it early so you can dry off on later rides.
|:| Food |:|
There are food stalls and restaurants placed all over the park so you will not have to walk far when you are hungry. It is not an awful lot cheaper to buy at an Alton Towers provided stall than a MacDonalds, KFC or Pizza Hut so don't think taking the kids to one of those will be any worse. I would recommend eating quite regularly throughout the day to keep up your energy, those rides take a lot out of you and the walking is a struggle too. Obviously don't pig out just before going on Rita because the people below don't want it over them later...
|:| The Rides |:|
Obviously the rides are the most important part of a theme park! What would be the point with out them? And Alton Towers has all sorts, you're bound to find some that you like. I will give each of the rides that I went on during my visit a score out of ten but I won't give scores to those I haven't been on as I wouldn't know as well as somebody who had been on it. I've also put an average queue time of what they seemed to be when I went. Here's a list of the rides and a little bit about them:
This was the first ever inverted rollercoaster to be available in Europe. This means that instead of sitting down with something underneath you you are hung from the top with your legs dangling underneath you. This still remains one of the parks biggest attractions despite it's age as it's twists, turns and loops provide great entertainment. I was lucky enough to go on it with just two other people who were both my friends. It seems to go so much faster at the front and when it's empty! If you have the time to queue in the front row queue I highly recommend it! Not for those who aren't too keen on rollercoasters.
10/10 - I loved it!
Air ::Forbidden Valley ::::1.4m height restriction ::::::Average Queue Time: 45 minutes
Right this was officially my first ever rollercoaster a measly few months ago. You get in it like you would for Nemesis, you are hanging below the main structure of seating area and your legs are dangling below you. The you get tilted 90 degrees so you are face down as if you are flying, this is the aim of the ride anyway. I had my eyes closed through a lot of this so I didn't see the lovely views but it was still a great experience. Make sure you arrange your body position to get it comfortable on the front of your body, especially important for women. Us lucky blokes!
7/10 - Maybe I'd enjoy it now I got used to the 'coasters but not a good choice of first rollercoaster!
This is one of the more unique rides at the park and a very scary concept before you go on. You are seated and then taken up very high above the whole of the park, beautiful views if you weren't otherwise preoccupied. The height is probably the scariest thing... until you are hung over a dark pit then thrown vertically down it into the pitch black. A very enjoyable ride AFTER you have been on it! You can see the funny side then, definitely one for the thrill seekers.
8/10 - Great fun once it's over, it is a bit short though.
The Flume ::Merrie England ::::0.9m height restriction (Under 1.1m accompanied by an adult) ::::::Average Queue Time: 30 minutes
This is just like any other log flume only very big. Great ride for getting you wet and it is always great fun. It is strategically placed at the beginning so you can get it out of the way first. Always fun to ride the flume and it is as exciting as the rollercoasters. One for the kids too with a height limit of only 0.9m.
Rita - Queen of Speed ::Ug Land ::::1.4m height restriction ::::::Average Queue Time: 40 minutes
Rita is definitely the ride for the lovers of speed, this takes you from 0-100km/h in under three seconds with a force of 4.7 G's as you go flying around the circuit. This had to be the scariest ride I went on all day, so much so that I didn't enjoy it that much. I thought I was going to go flying off into the trees or something! Going on it again I'm sure I would be fine but do not underestimate it!
7/10 - Thrilling indeed but a bit fast for me!
The Blade ::Forbidden Valley ::::0.9m height restriction (Under 1.1m accompanied by an adult) ::::::Average Queue Time: 10 minutes
This one of the more calm 'thrill' rides as named so on the map given to you at the entrance. It is a pirate ship type ride which rocks you backwards and forwards up to a point where you experience a feeling of zero gravity. Makes your stomach go all funny. A nice ride for the experience and it has shorter queues than the other rides as it is close to Air, Ripsaw and Nemesis.
6/10 - Nothing special but it is a bit of fun. One to take the kids on if they want to tick off some of the thrill rides.
This was unfortunately closed when we went, one of the nasty habits of theme parks is to have at least one ride closed that you wanted to go on! This spins you around and around before spraying you in the face with jets of water, sound like your cup of tea? Hope it's open if you go then. I think I may exceed the 1.95 metre height restriction anyway.
This is a ride that looks just fantastic even just from watching it. It looks like a kid's toy or something from Willy Wonka's Chocolate factory. I didn't get a chance to ride on this as it was a little full when we got there. Small carriages of three or four people are taken around a winding track while their carriages spin wildly around as they go. Magical looking ride, I liked it.
This is one of the original rollercoasters at Alton Towers, the age can be told by the rickety ride of the Corkscrew. It isn't too bad you just get a nasty jolt every now and again. This is a little different to the other rollercoasters as it has corkscrews in the track. This is a spin sideways rather than a loop. This is one for the kids if they want to get on a rollercoaster.
6/10 - Not a bad experience but doesn't live up to the new rides I don't think.
Congo River Rapids ::Katanga Canyon ::::0.9m height restriction (Under 1.1m accompanied by an adult) ::::::Average Queue Time: 30 minutes
This is a very enjoyable way to end the day. The ride through the rapids is actually quite calm and if you get lucky you avoid getting wet. The ride lasts quite a long time too which I was impressed by so I highly recommend this for adults and children. Water makes everything more fun!
8/10 - Relaxing and wet!
Squirrel Nutty Ride ::Adventure Land ::::Under 1.1m accompanied by an adult ::::::Average Queue Time: 15 minutes
This is one of the rides for younger children. A cute little ride based around riding through the tree tops and there are plenty of squirrels to keep you company. Nice ride for the kids to enjoy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory: The Ride ::Cred Street ::::Under 1m accompanied by an adult. No babies. ::::::Average Queue Time: 25 minutes
This is the multi-million pound ride that Alton Towers have forked out their money for, just for you! Obviously it is taken from the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. You get taken around the factory and even experience the Great Glass Elevator! I assume that you don't fly into space with it like in the books but I haven't been on it so what do I know?!
Right I think that's enough rides gone through. If you feel I need to add more about the kids' rides then let me know but I haven't been on them so I don't know. The queue times vary throughout the season in which it is open so you may find them to be different to what I say. A tip for when you're there: There are boards telling you the queue time at the moment, go to the one with the longest time, or near enough because people tend to have stopped going to that one because of the queue. The boards are a little behind so when you get there you have a short queue. We went to Air when it said there was a ten minute queue and waited half an hour. Went to oblivion with a 40 minute queue time and that only took about 10 or fifteen minutes!
All of the thrill rides like Oblivion, Air, Nemesis etc. have their own gift shop where after riding on them you can take a look at your picture which was taken at some point around the ride. These offer quite a bit of amusement afterwards and if you feel the need to buy it as a souvenir you have quite a few options. The picture can be framed or put onto a mug, a keyring or even a t-shirt! I wouldn't let children too near these or they'll want them all for every ride! The basic pictures come for about £6 and it's only upwards from there. If you buy multiple copies the average cost goes down.
If you have travelled quite a long way then you might want to take a look at the hotel facilities that are available. Not only now is the Alton Towers Hotel available for close access to the park but now the Splash Landings Hotel which has a massive waterpark at the back which I think is only for stayers at that hotel.
Alton Towers Hotel
This comes with the facility of the Spa which is perfect for adults with older children who can go around the park on their own and they can stay in the leisurely spa if they don't feel like walking down to the park. The walkway from the hotel takes you directly into the park into the Forbidden Valley section. This footpath is useful for both hotels though it is closer to the Alton Towers Hotel as that was there first.
Splash Landings Hotel
This is a bit of a taste of the Caribbean and comes with the incredible facility of the massive waterpark right on the doorstep. The hotel is more for those who feel they do not need to rest between visits to the theme park as this gives great opportunities to keep having fun at night as well as in the day as opposed to the more relaxing objective of the Alton Towers Hotel.
The Cariba Creek Waterpark contains quite a few features so I'll just quickly go through them. The Bubbly Wubbly pool is a steaming outdoor pool to splash around in. Flash Flood has three separate tropical pools and slides for the kids to play around on. The Tipping Bucket is thousand litres of water dropping on your head. Wacky Waterworks Treehouse has some winding rivers where you get squirted with water. Lazy River, just lie there and float! Lagoona Bay is the main swimming pool area with waterfalls, geysers and a watercannon to finish it off. Volcanic Springs is a tropical whirlpool. The Little Leak is for the very young swimmers, smaller version of Lagoona Bay and finally Master Blaster is a rollercoaster in the water with the option to get photos just like in the theme park.
Price: The pricing is the same for both hotels so I'll not write it out twice. These are the prices for a family of two adults and two children staying in one room. Remember children is still under 12.
Bed & Breakfast - £127.00 Bed & Breakfast & Waterpark - £163.00 Bed & Breakfast & 1 Day Theme Park - £201.00 Bed & Breakfast, Waterpark & 1 Day Theme Park - £237.00 Bed & Breakfast & Theme Park - £215.00 Bed & Breakfast, Waterpark & Theme Park - £215.00
I can only assume that the 'Theme Park' entries without the one day attachment allow you in for as long as you are staying.
|:| Conclusion |:|
I would say that this is the all round perfect day out for kids and fun loving adults alike! And if you like it that much you can always stay over the night at the lovely hotels and even go back for more the next day! It is great for big rides, easily the best place in Britain for the total package. There are other theme parks but nothing beats the thrill of going to Alton Towers. It's one of those things that for my generation you just have to do at some point in your life or you might as well not have bothered living! I am very glad to finally be able to say that I have been there and a very enjoyable day out I had indeed.
There is enough there to keep the adults amused while the kids go on the rides and it is a great opportunity to let that inner child come out to play for a while in this over grown playground. Don't go calling in work sick to get in when it's empty or you'll get the park in more trouble! Seriously a very fun place to have been to and I hope to go again in the not too distant future, maybe next year. If you're going soon then I'm jealous! Great place for all the family to enjoy.
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May 30th, 2007
exceptional by (37%):
very helpful by (63%):
