Thorpe Park/Alton Towers

[Bluebellsinthewind]

My second post on chat tonight

Dd would like to go to Thorpe Park for her birthday this year. What would you say is best Thorpe Park or Alton Towers?

Do either parks have hotels to stay at?

Any money saving tips?

We will be travelling from the Highlands

All advice welcome

How old is your dd? Thorpe park is on the edge of a motorway junction, it's not the greatest place but depends what type of rides you like. (It is very near Heathrow if you fly).

@tennissquare dd will be 13. I have been to Thorpe Park before but can't remember much about it. Me and dh hate rides but will be brave for dd

Watch the videos on YouTube first.

Does she want to do Hypatia?

Lots of rides are very intense but it's a compact park you can do it a day.

Don't go without the app. Arrive an hour early and take snacks/devices to keep you occupied in queues (give min 45 mins per ride).

@Carebearsonmybed oh never thought about YouTube. Thank you will look for videos on there. Never heard of Hypatia.
Good to read you can do it in a day. Had no clue about the app. Noted on snacks.

Thanks a million for all your help much appreciated.

Alton Towers for me. Its my happy place!

Not sure about Thorpe Park but Alton Towers has a hotel.

@SwordToFlamethrower do you mind sharing why it's your happy place?

@Businessflake thanks. Will take a look at there hotels.

Hyperia is the new Thorpe Park ride, it’s been a bit closure prone.

I grew up near Alton Towers and have taken the kids there a few times. It is an abject disaster in school holidays. It’s MASSIVE, and the rides are mostly old which means if one breaks down when you’re in the queue, it can be a long walk to the next.

I personally love Thorpe Park for its compactness. If I’m paying such a high entry fee and anticipating crowds and queues I really wouldn’t want to add 40 minutes’ travel time between rides on top.

Most Merlin attractions are shit for value for money in school holidays and the shoulder weeks around them. If you can go on ultra-low season weeks during the working week they are ok. Generally, though, Merlin have steadfastly refused to introduce eg free electronic queueing at their main thrill ride parks because that would impact their bottom line (fast passes are basically an essential and can add nearly £80pp to the ticket price). The food, drink and parking prices are absolutely obscene.

And the price of the official hotels … absolutely mad. Like, getting on for 5* ultralux hotel prices on peak/ school holiday dates.

We love both but prefer Alton Towers. It is a big park so there is quite a bit of walking but there is a lot of variety of rides and other things to keep you entertained. It’s a beautiful site too. I think the Woodland Lodges have been best value for us. Thorpe Park has the shark cabins which are converted shipping containers, basic but well done.

@the2andahalfmillion thank you, great advice. We aren't stuck with dates so can be flexible on them. £80pp fast passes is madness and sounds like the hotels are expensive also.

Alton towers will always be my favourite but it is exhausting! Thorpe park feels a lot more manageable if you only want to go for one day.

The hotel at Alton Towers is £££ but definitely something you have to do at least once, in my opinion. Maybe it says a lot about my sad childhood, but one of my favourite memories is the lift in the hotel and the big chair 😂

You can easily find somewhere a lot more reasonably priced nearby but definitely do not go in peak times, it’s just not worth it.

@Bingbong9009 is Alton Towers a really big Park? We have done Disney Florida is it on that scale?

Sounds like fab childhood memories.

Just tried to look up prices on the Alton Towers website but it appears to be down. Just tried 2 adults and 1 child and it won't let me go past Friday.

How do uou use Tesco points at at Alton Towers?

Alton Towers has a couple of hotels, also lodges and pods. One of the hotels has a splash park (and you can book that separately even if not staying at the hotel). There’s also a miniature golf course. If you stay over you can also enter the park early from an entrance by the big rides like Air.

Thorpe park has some big rides, but it’s small. I’m sure it has some accommodation on site (I’m thinking refurb containers sounds familiar). I wouldn’t travel all the way from the highlands for it. I would possibly link in with a few days in London.

I would say Alton towers. If you book the hotel stay then you get tickets included and can add on bits,

I have great memories spending two days at Alton Towers when I was 14, including the hotel on site. The entire trip is something that I look on with happiness.

I live in London and have been to Thorpe Park a couple of times. It’s very much a day trip kind of place.

So depends whether you want to make the entire trip about the theme park - two days and hotel at Alton Towers or just a day at Thorpe Park.

I'd say that Thorpe Park is better for rollercoasters, Alton Towers is better overall

I prefer Thorpe Park, feel it has more variety off rides, while I feel Alton Towers is just big thrill rides and not much else if you don't like rollercoasters.

Thorpe park has more water rides, tamer rides, dodgems etc.

Alton Towers has the better coasters - Smiler, Wickerman, Oblivion.
Do love Saw and Stealth at Thorpe park.

If your going at weekend or school holidays, you'll spend most off the day queueing anyway. Not fair only those they can afford it, can use fast track.

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Thanks everyone for all the help. Will look into the two parks. Hopefully the Alton Towers website is working today.

Alton towers is huge and the sky rides never work so be prepared for a lot of walking. It is brilliant though but recently lots of the rides seem to be closed which can be really annoying.

if you do go to alton towers, download the app. Get one of the refillable drinks because it’s good value for money. It’s super expensive there so take snacks. Although the donuts are great. Remember that the closing time isn’t the closing time for the park but the closing time to get into the queue. So if it closes at 6 but you’ve just made it in the queue, you’ll get the ride. Rollercoaster restaurant is a fun gimmick although food is very standard. Hotel is fun but expensive although great to be there so you can get into the park asap. You can get individual queue jumps for rides on the app which can be helpful but they can sell out.