Introduction:

I heard of Merline Annual Pass from the Tesco clubcard deals and friends.
From our friends' past experience, it is very good value for money as you can jump the queues to some major attractions in London such as the London Eye. Without the pass, you may queue for hours. Based on our friends recommendation I took the plunge for our family.

How much does it cost?
Gate price Online Renewal
Individual £150 £120 £100
Family of 3 £330 £264 £225
Family of 4 £400 £320 £300
Family of 5 £480 £384 £375
Disabled (including complimentary Carer Pass) £150 £120 £100

I have used Tesco's Clubcard deal i.e. exchange £37.5 clubcard vouchers for each annual pass (no cheaper price for children). This is a lot of money spent in Tesco to get this amount of vouchers. Well, there is always a first time. I may not renew it next year.

What does it include?

The official line from Merline Entertainment: Enjoy 12 months’ unlimited* entry to all these top attractions:

Alton Towers Resort
THORPE PARK
Chessington World of Adventures & Zoo
LEGOLAND® Windsor
London Eye
Warwick Castle
Madame Tussauds London
SEA LIFE Centres/Sanctuaries (national)
The Dungeons (national including the London one)

Is there any catch?

Yes and not a small one. The offical statement: Unlimited entry is subject to attraction operating calendars and the following exclusions at London Eye, Madame Tussauds London, SEA LIFE London Aquarium and London Dungeon; 14th February, 'before 3pm' during August, 31st October and 26th to 31st December inclusive.

However when I ordered the clubcard tokens months ago, intended for use in the summer holiday and other later holidays, I didn't see the restrictions of August and December. What a cheat! They just add the restrictions as and when they want!

Also, I live way outside London and with this now limited pass, I have to plan my day trip to these attractions in London very carefully. Also, with the restriction in place, you can't even join the queue before 3pm with the other people without paying to enter. This is ridiculous! Unlimited entry has just got plenty of limitations.

The BIG question - is it worth it?

Well if you consider the full entry price of these attractions for the whole family and you go to these attractions regularly during the year, it is well worth it - a bargain!

Even if you and your family just want to visit all these attractions once within a year, it is still worth it, money wise.

However if you just want the theme parks but not the others, think carefully because sometimes you can get those 2 for in voucher, kid goes free voucher from a lot of places and promotions. It may be cheaper doing it that way.

For example if you are a big fan of Legoland but don't like the other attractions, you can exchange clubcard vouchers for either the day pass of full annual pass instead. I have done the Legoland full annual pass in the past and it is well worth it if you go there regularly or even a few times a year.

Summary

If you like all the Merlin attractions and are likely to visit most of them within a year
especially for those in London, it is obviously good value for money.

If you like the London attractions and want to visit them in any day in August 2009, plan your trip ahead very carefully.

LATEST EXTRA INFO [30th Oct 2009, half-term holiday period]:

1. Experience with London Aquarium
The advantage of holding a Merlin Pass is that you don't have to join the queue for buying a ticket and just show your pass(es) to the person at the entrance. This is good!

2. Experience with Madame Tussard's
Now there is a catch!
There are five entrances for queueing:
door number 1 - on the day ticket [the longest queue]
Door number 2 - VIP tickets (all inclusive open dated ticket with gift wallet, wax hand service, guide book)
Door number 3 and 4 - advanced tickets, booked online tickets, Flexi ticket, Merlin Pass(?? I may have been 'mis-informed' by the staff managing the queue). The queue is still substantial because of the numerous tickets involved and all the advanced tickets have to be validated at the booth i.e. a slow process. For Merlin pass, you just show them and go in. There should be another door for this! Or, door number 2 for Merlin Pass holders as well!
Door number 5 – group ticket?

3. Experience with London Eye
Beware!
Pass holder can not use it on 31st Oct (all day)! Another unwanted restriction!
Also, you can not use the fast track unless you buy a fast track ticket!
As a result, join the normal queue – very very very long!
Surprisingly there is no queue at the fast-track ticket booth and not many in the ticket office building either and therefore pass holder has no advantage over anybody!
Then there is a over-hyped bag search and touches of your trousers pockets + lots of questions asked e.g. have you packed your bag yourself? (What a joke! security check like those in the airport and this isn’t one!). Also, they put on a show by using two staff holding extended mirrors to quickly check the capsule after everyone gets off.

Since we have experience the 'day and night flight' of the London Eye + the others for the day, there was not enough time for the London Dungeon - to be updated in the future.