Alton Towers 1st timer advice!

[heckythump01]

So I'm looking at taking my 2 teens to Alton towers over Easter! I'm looking for any hints and tips, oh wise ones😊 feel overwhelmed looking......

Is too. So following also

It’s good, but food and drinks can be expensive so take your own to cut down on this.

Queues can be long at peak times - if you can afford it, get the fast past tickets. We once went without them for Scarefest and got on one ride all day.

Oh, and download the app to show you queue times!

I use to love going to Alton Towers but I haven't been back since the teens lost limbs.

Are you paying for fast track? Just be prepared for all the queuing.

I haven't been for years but used to pay £10 to park right by the entrance.
Head to the furthest big ride on arrival.

Yeah we took our 3 (they were 12,12 and 15) in summer 2020 when our holiday was cancelled. My advice would be to book 2 days if you can so there's less pressure to stay really late or have a very long day. By the late pm of second day we were ready to leave.

My other advice would be: don't go on the smiler first. I felt sick for the entire first day.

Final advice: go to the toilet before you get in queues. We had a nightmare with one of ours needing a wee half an hour into a queue.

My son said the best ride was that one where you hang down. I think it begins with a G. I didn't go on it but we watched them. It looked scary but he says it was amazing. We took picnic, snacks, drinks and bought an ice cream.

Check for opening times of the different rides and areas. Some parts of the park don't open until later in the day and there's a huge walk between the rides. It's no fun walking to find the ride you were heading to doesn't open until midday.

Stay as close to the park as you can. So you can get there early. And get fast pass tickets.

Definitely download the app, the queues vary so much through the day. We usually start at the back of the park and work towards the entrance.
Get the kids to pick a one must do each and concentrate on getting those done.
Taking lots of snacky foods can give you something to do in the queues and avoid spending too much time queuing for food as well as rides.
Paying express parking is totally worth it as you’re straight into the park. The shuttle is a walk and a massive queue in itself before and after the day even starts.

I love Alton Towers! Get the app and keep an eye on wait times. If a ride goes down keep watching for when it reopens, it'll be a walk on. Last year we did Nemesis four times in quick succession before a queue actually appeared!

Food onsite used to be ok, although a little expensive. I've read that this year the catering has been outsourced and quality has dropped, according to people who were there in Feb half term. Personally I'd consider a picnic and then doughnuts as a treat.

You can but a one day photo pass to get all your ride photos. Last year it was £25 I think but totally worth it for all your digital downloads. Make sure you do it on your first ride. At the end there will be a sign that says go to alton.photos (not sure I've got that exactly right so do check) and enter the ride and photo number to claim it

The monorail starts an hour before the park opens so get there early. The first hour is the best in terms of short queues although the sky ride doesn't open until 11 so unless you want a big walk (or are staying in the on-site hotel) aim for Smiler or Wicker Man first. Smiler queues tend to just get longer and longer as the day goes on.

Have a fantastic time!

Comfy shoes and patience.

The fast track pass is well worth it. Take your own snacks and lunch. The food is not only expensive, it's not the best quality either. Also take raincoats and if it's a rainy day, the park can be very busy as everyone assumes they are the only person who thought of going that day, and in thunderstorms, the rides will close and you won't usually get a refund.

We always go to Smiler first because the queues for this will be mental later in the day. You can go into the park before all the rides start and get into a queue. We were first on Smiler and got to sit in the front on the first ride of the day. Sadly Nemesis is is closed down for the next couple of years 😢.

Fast pass. I wouldn't go to a theme park in peak times without it. Pay to stand in a queue for most of the day, fuck that.

Head towards to the roller coasters first, queues will be shorter first thing . Food is pricey and not great quality. Buy the refillable drink cups if affordable, works out much cheaper if you aren't planning on taking your own drinks in.

Definitely get a fast pass. The queues in the Easter holidays will be crazy, so you'd spend a huge amount of your day just standing in line if you just have a bog standard ticket.
The gardens are beautiful, so factor a walk through them into your route around the park.
It's a really big place and quite spread out, so comfy shoes (and rain gear) are essential.

Definitely take your own food, it's sooo expensive and rubbish!

Go to the back of the park as soon as it opens and do Thirteen and Rita, then go to Smiler and Oblivion.
From there just work your way forward.

We go every year, I love Galactica but everything else is a bit much for me now.
I miss the log flume 😢

Buy fast track passes and priority car parking so you’re right next to the entrance, arrive early to avoid car parking queues. Download the app for ride times. Start at the far end of the park and work back towards the entrance, but if you walk past something you want to go on and it has short queues take the opportunity. Queues also drop right off in the late afternoon. You can recharge phones and there are lockers for bags.

My dh & ds have merlin passes and go every month. They say get there for 9.30 , start at the back of the park ie- dark forest. Next head to Forbidden valley then head to the front of the park.

Also the fast track passes can be switched between people on the day. So if you’re not all going on the same rides together you can buy fewer. So with dh and two kids we bought two p

Sorry, posted early. With younger dcs it works out cheaper

@handsoffate only works if you don’t buy the stupid expensive platinum ones - you get a sticky wristband along with the card im for those and have to show both, not possible to take the wristband off without cutting it.

Found out the hard way last year after usually buying the slightly cheaper card fast pass tickets.

Factor in the cost of the fast passes, my eldest went without it the first time and got on 4 rides the whole day 🤦🏻‍♀️

Also put the app on your phone, it tells you about closed rides and queue length.

Another vote for the app and starting from the back.

first time we went dh and ds went mad wanting to go on all the big rides. They managed about 3 rides due to the queuing. So manage people’s expectations and encourage them to mix the rides up a bit as that way they’ll get on more.

definitely take lunch to save money and queuing time.