To be annoyed at the cost of Alton Towers

[StarlitTrees]

My three year old really wants to go to cebeebies land. Obviously that means having to buy a ticket for Alton towers.
Even with a Kellogg's free adult voucher, it will cost us over £80!!!

People going to cebeebies land obviously won't be using the majority of the park. Why don't they do a separate cebeebies land ticket, or make a cheaper ticket for smaller children that are clearly too small to go on anything other than cebeebies land rides?

It's such a rip off and means we probably won't be able to take him. It costs £38 for our whole family to get into Thomas land/Drayton manor. £80+ is extortionate!

Well it will be because Alton Towers let the BBC build ceebeebies land there to make some money!

The BBC benefits because they get to use prime land...with a ready audience...Alton Towers will take a portion of the fees they charge for entrance.

It is a rip off. You don't HAVE to go you know and you shouldn't feel bad for not being able to afford it either.

My DC are older and one is currently annoyed that we can't go to Florida like ALL her friends.

Tough!

Get a merlin pass, there's a sale on right now and they're an absolute bargain considering the perks and amount of places you'll get free entry to.

If OP can't afford 80 pounds, why would she be able to afford over a hundred for a Merlin pass?

We do the Kellogg's voucher then you buy a bounce back ticket and go the next day. Works out cheaper for us. But I love theme parks and think Alton towers is overpriced but as we live so far away it means we can't go weekends like my friend who lives nearby does with a Berlin pass.

Why tell your 3 year old about it if you can't afford to take him?

If it was too expensive, people wouldn't go and the park would have to reconsider the pricing. If they can get away with it, then the price is obviously right.

I could afford it, but I won't go because I think it's too expensive for what it is too. Obviously I am in the minority, so I am not expecting any improvement.

(yes, what is with bloody Florida? Doesn't anyone go on holiday anywhere else! I hear the same thing!)

With the free Alton towers tickets on boxes of food do you have to purchase the ticket on the day and not in advance? They are £32 per adult in advance or £60.30 on the day.
Could you not say your dc isn't 3 yet?

Cadburys have a freebie on at the moment!!

One free entry per pack.

It's only valid until July I think but worth a go?

Don't go then.
Its a business.
Businesses want to make as much money as possible. Clearly plenty of people are happy to pay that.

Why tell your 3 year old about it if you can't afford to take him?

Seriously? there's this magical thing called a television where sometimes, it's shown on there and kids go woooooooow can we go?!

I buy the sun free tickets off eBay.

I go to Chessington, Legoland and Alton almost every year and never pay more than a fiver a ticket.

Is your three year old closer to 2 or 3? If closer to 2 then you could lie about age to get them in free.

Didn't it used to be under 4's go feee or am I imagining it?

I know it's under 3's now but I'm sure it was under 4's last year... because I wanted to take Dd before her 4th birthday (too late now)

Just don't go...he really won't be damaged by it at all!

In fact by the time he's 6 or 7 he won't remember it at all but will remember the ice cream he had somewhere totally free or the time Dad trod in dog poo on the way to the shops.

Seriously? hmm there's this magical thing called a television where sometimes, it's shown on there and kids go woooooooow can we go?!

Yes Seriously, Its been a long time since I have had a 3 year old so maybe my memory is deceiving me but I'm pretty sure at 3 my 3 were not wanting to go to places off the tv, at 4 or 5 yes but pretty sure not at 3.

is your 3 yr old closer to 2 or 3 , how does that work exactly ?

It is expensive. We're taking ds there for his birthday, staying in one of the hotels for two nights. That's costing us more than our break at butlins which is for 5 days.

Zerofuchs, my 2 year old saw the advertisement on TV the other day and wanted to go. It happens!
I checked prices though and ruled it out. Will go to Thomas land instead. Only £35ish for that!

Ah fair enough. Sorry for the sarcasm.

Ive got a very bright 4 year old who never shuts up so she has been wanting to go to cbeebies land since she was 2.5. She does forget sometimes and then the advert is on and she wants to go again.

Ds is nearly 2.5 and is no where as articulate

My children don't watch adverts. It's bliss. Try it.

Go to Peppa Pig World / Paultons Park near Southampton. Free if

Could you do the Sun Days Out? Or are you limited to weekends?

We got 2 Thorpe park tickets for the price of a few newspapers.

It's not that I can't afford it, I just begrudge spending £80+ for it, just wondered if anyone had any tips to bring the price down.

Please don't get the wrong impression, my 3 year old isn't pulling at my purse strings begging me to go!! I thought it would be nice, showed him, he said he thought it looked good, and now I'm looking into how to make it better value for money (whilst thinking how crazy the prices are!)

It's not me thinking I MUST let my son have everything he wants. We like to do a few days out and about in the year and I thought he was at a good age to enjoy this this year!

I might look at the merlin pass if they're currently on offer and make the most of the attractions available on that. Thanks for the recommendation.

I priced up 4 day tickets for 5 at all three universal parks in Florida yesterday and it was less than I paid for a two day trip to Alton Towers. It's not a cheap day out. If you're interested in merlin passes though buy them when you've used discount vouchers because they give you the full face ticket value off the pass price even though you've not paid it.

I had considered peppa pig world teen.
We are a few hours away and thought about getting hotel, but the idea of us in a hotel room with an 3yo and a 6mo just isn't very practical. Maybe when the baby is older.