Alton towers tips please : 2 days getting most out of it

[PerhapsaSillyQuestion]

Hello does anyone have any tips please to get the most out of the day. We are there for 2 days, not on site but close by.

Hopeful bump

The second you walk through the door head to one of the major rides as that’s the only time of day it will have the shortest queue.

Get the app and check ride times and if they are actually open before you walk to each ride. I was there 2 weeks ago and Smiler was constantly breaking down.

thete are some refillable water stations which is handy

prepare to walk 15,000 steps - A.T is huge

Are you staying at one of the resort hotels?

If so use the back entrance, near Galactica. You have to show you have an accommodation booking to use it. You access from near the splash landing hotel.

That way you get in at the back of the park and get a head start on some of the rides down that way.

@Havingasmashingtime we are going on a day in week before school breaks up do you still think it will be too busy?

I took my DS years ago and you could get a fast pass for a selection of rides. We were there very early so he could go on as much as possible and we followed the map so we knew exactly what he wanted to do. When we went the food options were quite limited so I'd take food with you.

It's such good fun!

My friend went a couple years ago without a plan and spent hours walking around and doubling back.

It will still be busy! Last time I went was midweek, not school holidays, and all the queues were like 90 minutes+!

Plus, some schools (the private one near me) have already broken up!

I went 3 week days at the end of June and it was busy (lots of school trips especially)
there are unfortunately no single rider queues but you can now pay a one off £10 for each ride to skip most of the queue. You do that on the app and get a QR code.

but yes definitely have a plan to get straight to the best ride the moment you walk through the gates.
but keep an eye on the app for which are actually open.

It will be busy as it's a popular week for school trips.

We go all the time (pass holders).

We usually go on a week day in term time and have never had to queue longer than 20 minutes, the last time was just after Nemesis reopened and we walked off the ride and straight back on again. Smiler tends to have the biggest queues so worth either going there first, or at the end of the day.

Definitely download the app for queue times, the pizza and pasta all you can eat buffet isn’t badly priced if you want a proper meal, otherwise there are plenty of places to grab a snack and a drink.

Its a lot of walking as a PP said so wear comfy shoes!

If you go on a day that's full of school trips save smiler and wicker man for after 4pm because that's usually when they leave. Also the closing time is when the queues close, not when the rides stop. If you get in the queue before 6pm then you get to ride even if it's an hour long.

@Havingasmashingtime is that per ride, £10 to skip the queue or pay 10 to skip all queues?

Good point re school trips thank you.

Is there anything else to do except rides?
Are there any vr rides or shows?

Also any good play areas?

If you take a picnic the gardens are lovely and also quiet - a respite from all the crowds! Definitely have the app, check it and head for one of the big rides first off, be early as gates are open a little before the stated time which allows you to get there for when the ride opens. Consider budgeting for fast pass if it's crazy busy....

There’s a small SeaLife aquarium, I don’t think there are any play parks.

And it’s £10 per ride. A fast track to skip the queue on the big rollercoasters is around £70 each and one ride on each. Limited fast track is about £120 and you can skip the queues on the rides as many times as you like. You won’t need that on a weekday even with school trips. We usually get it for Scarefest or other big events like the fireworks nights.

@DontBiteTheCat thank you that is pricey.
We will slug it out and hope the day (Monday) and rain put people off!!

We've been here this week. It's very busy and Nemesis has been shut for 2 days. Schools in Scotland are out and there are coach loads of trips.

@HausofHolbein thank you.

Is there anything else to do there if all rides are super busy?
The next day we can get in at open time.

There is a playground in cbeebies but definitely aimed at younger children. There are also a couple of shows there.