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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Seriously? £86 for family entry?

311 replies

biggirlknickers · 04/07/2021 20:35

This is for a visit to the Yorkshire Wildlife Park for 2 adults and 2 children.

I mean, who can afford £86 on tickets? That’s before you’ve factored in petrol, extortionate icecreams / coffees and no doubt a huge gift shop that you are forced to exit through with kids.

We are professionals on decent enough wages - we’re not rolling in it but we are doing ok. But that is truly beyond our reach for a single day out!

I’m thinking too of all the lower income families that I work with every day as a primary school teacher, for whom this couldn’t even be a consideration. Yorkshire children who don’t have a hope in hell of ever going to Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

AIBU to think that it’s really too much?

OP posts:
strawberrydonuts · 05/07/2021 09:07

It's a little surprising they don't have a family ticket at a slight discount.

Just looked at the prices and it's weird that the adult prices are only £2 more than child (£21 adult, £19 child) - children are usually half/ two thirds of the adult ticket price.

Having said that, it seems like quite a big attraction, a full day out with loads of animals. What do you think are their costs for running a place like that and looking after all those animals? They have to fund it somehow.

strawberrydonuts · 05/07/2021 09:11

@QueenBee52

They still have to feed, house and generally care for all the animals including health care, which must be very expensive.

So what happens when visitors are Priced out ... and simply refuse to bother taking their kids ...

Who pays for the animal food welfare and health then ?

Presumably they have looked carefully at their pricing and have pitched it at a level where they can make enough money to keep the animals and attraction going but aren't pricing out too many people. It must be a very difficult balance.

I really doubt that an attraction like Yorkshire Wildlife Park are profiteering massively, especially at the moment. Attractions like this are probably on the brink and doing everything they can to keep going, and I'm sure they have specialists constantly looking at their pricing to keep it fair whilst also keeping the business afloat.

claralara42 · 05/07/2021 09:14

I mean, who can afford £86 on tickets? That’s before you’ve factored in petrol, extortionate icecreams / coffees and no doubt a huge gift shop that you are forced to exit through with kids.

Most people can afford 86 quid for tickets. It's not very expensive.
You don't have to buy ice creams, coffees and tat in the gift shop.

mytwocats · 05/07/2021 10:05

Everything has a price,every one has a choice. sadly I don't see a comment yet as to the price of 200 cigarettes,or stupid bottled water,& that stuff works out dearer than petrol!
You don't go out to these places every day,but people buy the above every day,without hesitation.it's a treat, not a necessity.

00100001 · 05/07/2021 10:20

@strawberrydonuts

It's a little surprising they don't have a family ticket at a slight discount.

Just looked at the prices and it's weird that the adult prices are only £2 more than child (£21 adult, £19 child) - children are usually half/ two thirds of the adult ticket price.

Having said that, it seems like quite a big attraction, a full day out with loads of animals. What do you think are their costs for running a place like that and looking after all those animals? They have to fund it somehow.

Yeah,bit a child gets just as much (perhaps more) out of a trip to the zoo as an adult.

It's not like Alton Towers, say, where the kids can only access 1/3 of rides.

Bopahula · 05/07/2021 11:17

Surely it's all relative though.

I deliberately after my split purchased a smaller house (with smaller mortgage and bills) so I could leave a couple of hundred pounds fun money every month. Because that's what I wanted for me and my daughter. Other friends I have, have double and triple my mortgage but don't go out as often. That's what they wanted to do as well.

I don't then look at things out of my price range and complain it's not fair. I debate if I want to save a couple of months of fun money to do the more expensive thing. Or accept I won't do it.
There is no right to go to wildlife parks/Alton towers etc.

PattyPan · 05/07/2021 11:18

I’m surprised to hear how expensive the cinema is for some people. I live in the southeast and the cinema here (Vue) is £4.99 per person if you book online or £5.99 if you buy the tickets there. If you go to the kids’ showings on a weekend morning it’s only £2.49 each, even for adults.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 05/07/2021 11:23

@PattyPan

I’m surprised to hear how expensive the cinema is for some people. I live in the southeast and the cinema here (Vue) is £4.99 per person if you book online or £5.99 if you buy the tickets there. If you go to the kids’ showings on a weekend morning it’s only £2.49 each, even for adults.
We have deluxe showcase nearby and omg the seats are absolutely worth the tenner (peak times). They do family ticket for 4 under £30 and meerkat movies so in the end you can get good bargains. Don't buy the large popcorn and coke though unless you are hungry. It's GIANT!!!
Blossomtoes · 05/07/2021 11:32

@PattyPan

I’m surprised to hear how expensive the cinema is for some people. I live in the southeast and the cinema here (Vue) is £4.99 per person if you book online or £5.99 if you buy the tickets there. If you go to the kids’ showings on a weekend morning it’s only £2.49 each, even for adults.
No Vue anywhere near here. Cineworld is £10.75 for an adult and £8.75 for a child. That’s your £40 gone.
withpeaceandlove · 05/07/2021 11:33

We go to YWP a few times a year and it's great and well worth the price. Loads of animals, play parks, soft play area and loads of food options, some of which aren't that expensive. I'm also fairly certain that they house the only polar bears in England and are known for providing a great standard of care and large enclosures so I think that justifies the price.
We're on an average income too, if you budget for it it's doable.

Jangle33 · 05/07/2021 11:33

I know you can often buy these days out with clubcard vouchers but I’d be using that money to get discounts if food/things that we actually needed, if money was tight.

PattyPan · 05/07/2021 11:41

I had no idea Cineworld was expensive, I’ve never lived near one and thought it was more of a budget chain for some reason. Just looked up Odeon in a nearby town and they are £5 a ticket as well, but Showcase in a different nearby town is £30 for a family. These are all within a half hour drive of each other so I wonder how Showcase justifies charging an extra £10.

pigeonhole · 05/07/2021 12:08

Google for a discount code , I saw groupon has one at 30% off , didn't read details but might that help ?

SchrodingersImmigrant · 05/07/2021 12:11

@PattyPan

I had no idea Cineworld was expensive, I’ve never lived near one and thought it was more of a budget chain for some reason. Just looked up Odeon in a nearby town and they are £5 a ticket as well, but Showcase in a different nearby town is £30 for a family. These are all within a half hour drive of each other so I wonder how Showcase justifies charging an extra £10.
Is it delux? Because yeah. It's really comfy. Vue I have really far and odeon is 7 here
ACPC · 05/07/2021 12:20

I think it's fine as most families only go to these places once a year and animals are expensive to look after properly. We usually go to a zoo or theme park once a year, cinema or bowling say twice and everything else is free, museum, beach pic nic etc I think we try too hard as parents to always be doing something. My dc are in clubs which are expensive so we can't do it all. That's life.

PattyPan · 05/07/2021 12:26

@SchrodingersImmigrant yes it is but the Vue has a row of deluxe seats as well and they’re only £1 more. The odeon has been done up as well so it’s all squashy recliner type seats and I find it actually more uncomfortable! I like normal chairs 🤷‍♀️

SchrodingersImmigrant · 05/07/2021 12:27

I looove them reclining seats🙈

TeardropImplodes · 05/07/2021 12:36

We grew up near to Windsor Safari Park in the 80s (now Legoland) only went once, it was so expensive. I have a brilliant photo of little me wearing sunglasses next to an elephant.

Days out with my own kids have been one off memory makers, know the local place backwards with an annual pass and lots &lots of local walks & picnics.
The hardest thing with the expensive one off memory makers is the attention span of small children. On paper Legoland was going to be amazing, 2 for 1, 9& 7 year olds, loved Lego. It was so bad, the kids were immediately tired and over whelmed, the queues got longer, the day hotter, it was a such a shame but is now used as an amusing awful family joke " covid has closed Legoland, at least no other families will suffer" sort of thing.

Ellpellwood · 05/07/2021 12:55

Unfortunately I think what absolutely ruins the experience of a lot of these places is having to go at weekends and school holidays. We took toddler DS to Alton Towers on a termtime Thursday/Friday and had a brilliant time, with the max queue being 20 minutes. Once he starts school he's out of luck unless it's an INSET day!

mytwocats · 05/07/2021 12:57

patypan& shrodingersimigrant...
Cinemas are a strange industry, all films are rented with a colossal return to the renters of said film. I worked in the industry as a projectionist for 20yrs the electricity used in one hour is horrendous,i have shown a film to no one so it's my wages to be paid,water rates,heating,loads of freezers,business rates,everyone else's wages & the rent of the film FYI when Jaws was released,the minimum booking time for it was 6 weeks the rental was a staggering 98% back to the renters,after 6 weeks it went down to 95%.

Mary46 · 05/07/2021 13:00

Pricey op. Dublin same if you bring kids out. We used love zoo as full day out. I do see your point it quickly adds up

EmeraldShamrock · 05/07/2021 13:05

Yes it is crazy. Tayto Park works out as €38 per person with plenty of cash items inside. Huge Teddy bears on display €5 a play for me.
Mine are warned on arrival.

claralara42 · 05/07/2021 13:09

@EmeraldShamrock

Yes it is crazy. Tayto Park works out as €38 per person with plenty of cash items inside. Huge Teddy bears on display €5 a play for me. Mine are warned on arrival.
No it doesn't. The most expensive all access ticket is 35€, junior is 31 and seniors are 25. No combination can work out to 38€ per person.
QueenBee52 · 05/07/2021 13:18

It's not exactly a god given right to go and gawk at animals, why shouldn't it be expensive?

what an odd response Hmm

They won't be priced out. Some will, but there will allways be enough. They are not stupid, the people running it, you know.

nobody suggested they are stupid.

EmeraldShamrock · 05/07/2021 13:25

No it doesn't. The most expensive all access ticket is 35€, junior is 31
Yes that isn't a big difference it is still an expensive day out.
I thought we paid €38 per adult. Silly me it was 35. Hmm

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