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Original poster

Merlin annual pass any good?

18 replies

Stepmum3 · 11/12/2018 20:29

Hi,

I am thinking of buying a merlin pass for our family as a Xmas present. I just wondered if anyone thought they were worth it ? Or willing to share their experience.

Thanks

OP posts:
newplacenofriends · 11/12/2018 20:58

I really enjoyed mine. It depends where you live though, I was under an hour from Thorpe Park, Chessington, and all the London attractions. If you live far from the attractions it wouldn't be as good

newplacenofriends · 11/12/2018 20:58

also, I got mine through clubcard points so might be worth finding a deal if you can rather than buying through the merlin website

Howhot · 11/12/2018 20:59

I agree it depends where you live. I live in the north East and it would be a waste on me.

newplacenofriends · 11/12/2018 21:00

oohh, last point! If there is only one theme park you are interested in then it may be cheaper to get the parks annual pass (for example the Thorpe park annual pass is £55 compared to £139 for Merlin)

newplacenofriends · 11/12/2018 21:01

I now live in the North West so don't have the pass anymore as wouldn't be of you to me up here!

3WildOnes · 11/12/2018 21:02

We live less than half an hour from chessington, Thorpe Park and Lego land and under an hour on the train to most of the London ones. We had it for a year and visited these ones lots. We made two overnight trips to Alton towers. For us it was completely worth it. We bought in the January sale so was less than £100 each .

sleepingdragon · 11/12/2018 21:02

If you wait till after Christmas they always have a sale in January so you will get them quite a bit cheaper.

I've loved having passes this year. We used them loads before my son started school. If/when I buy them again I will get the premium passes, by the time I had paid for car parking etc it wouldn't have been much different cost and now my son is at school it would be good to be able to use them in the summer holidays more.

WisestIsShe · 11/12/2018 21:03

We had it for a couple of years when the kids were 11 and 6. Got loads of use and definitely loved it, made us go out sometimes when we wouldn't have bothered. Alton towers was our nearest and it really went downhill after the smiler accident so we didn't renew. Maybe two years was enough to have done everything?

3WildOnes · 11/12/2018 21:03

Definitely wait for the sales to buy.

megletthesecond · 11/12/2018 21:05

We're an hour from Chessington and used the pass 5 times. The kids were the right age to get it out of their system.

Might buy a Thorpe park pass when they're teens.

SeamstressfromTreacleMineRoad · 11/12/2018 21:12

My DS & DIL bought each other these for Christmas last year + one for DGD. They live in the SE, and have had many days out using their passes - they've probably had three times the face value. They've been to:
Thorpe Park (3 times), SeaLife, Legoland (twice), Madame Tussaud's, Warwick Castle, and on the London Eye four times Smile I've also been on the London Eye for half-price as their guest.
If you live anywhere below Birmingham, they're great value - further north than that and you'd need to plan carefully to get the most out of the passes.

happytoday73 · 11/12/2018 21:13

There is a calculator on the website to help you work out if it's worth it. I always ponder buying in the summer sale and choosing to pick it up later (ie near christmas) at local attraction so have it at cheap rate in time for Christmas..... and then really hitting it for next year!

Original poster
Stepmum3 · 11/12/2018 21:28

Thank you all xx

OP posts:
CraftyGin · 11/12/2018 21:35

I used to get Thorpe Park passes for my kids as we live nearby and they can go on their own. They are fed up of it now.

One year, we splashed out on Premium Merlin Passes, and we did all the one off things - London Dungeon, Edinburgh Dungeon, London
Eye, Madame Tussaud’s etc.

This was good thing to do just the once, and then to revert back to Thorpe Park passes.

The good thing about an annual pass is that you can go to the park for just one or two rides. You don’t feel you need to stay for the whole day to get your money’s worth.

gingajewel · 11/12/2018 21:43

My mom gets us premium Merlin passes for Christmas, we are in the midlands so go to Warwick castle, Alton towers and sea life quite a bit! Last year we also got cheap hotels and did chessington one day and legoland the next and also the Blackpool attractions one weekend. I love ours and tbh we go to Alton towers just for a wander round and take a picnic rather than to go on loads of rides, my lo’s are 2 and 9 and we have had some lovely days out the past two years we have had them. (We wait till the sale in jan to get them too)

anniehm · 11/12/2018 21:46

Depends where you live - we are over 90 mins from everything but Warwick castle (once you have been once there it's not the sort of place you go back to), an sealife centres are a bit boring too. My friend has Alton towers passes but they live 15 mins away so her teens go down after school in the summer with friends for an hour or two.

shpoot · 11/12/2018 21:59

We are in the north west and ours was more than worth it so have to disagree with some posters. There's legoland discovery and sea life at the Trafford Centre as well as the Blackpool attractions. We did day trips several times to these. Also booked into cheap hotels and did a weekend at Alton towers and a few days legoland Windsor and London attractions.

Well worth it for us

Original poster
Stepmum3 · 11/12/2018 22:22

They have just added a pay monthly feature and was debating that. Just unsure if it would still be allowed with sale prices. Otherwise. We couldn’t afford it, as it is over 700 for our children

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