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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:
SongSilkTrainspot · 04/07/2021 23:05

@Shoxfordian

If people pay it then it’s not too much for the market
This is not true.
QuestionableMouse · 04/07/2021 23:07

Cheaper than Flamingo Land which is £110 for a family of four.

Themeparklover · 04/07/2021 23:08

I think you are right, there needs to be more vouchers available for struggling families or perhaps lower costs and the option to upgrade the tickets for wealthier families, I often visit places alone after a recent split and I am truly shocked by how expensive days out are, I went for a day trip today to southend and including the train, pier train ride, theme park and dinner it cost me about £60- 70. Maybe for next years cycle try getting a merlin family pass, can be pricey but worth it if you visit at least once a month a new place, I have a discovery pass for £69 and have already visited, shreks adventure, the london eye, madame tussauds, sealife and chessington

Icannever · 04/07/2021 23:08

We’ve just been to longleat safari park. It would have cost us £126 for our family of 4 but i used my Clubcard vouchers. Even spending that much in Clubcard vouchers went against the grain as it takes me a long time to save them up 😀. But it was an amazing day out and I’d actually go back and pay for tickets.

I rarely pay full price for days out but it’s harder this year to find discounts. However I’ve got tickets to legoland, Alton towers, chessington and Thorpe park all for the price of a few issues of the sun (yes it’s an awful newspaper). Best bargain ever 😀. The promotions are finished for this year but worth keeping an eye out next year if you like that sort of thing.

My biggest gripe is the safari park near us has reopened with almost everything fun closed but is still charging the exact same price.

mogsrus · 04/07/2021 23:11

Running these places cost a boatload,that's the problem,it's the outgoings that hurt,same as any business.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 04/07/2021 23:12

That's a good price for a nice wildlife park.

Animals eat a lot. The costs are massive. Staff, vets, upkeep, insurance. And now limited number of customers...

Maggiesfarm · 04/07/2021 23:13

I don't think that is a bad price for two adults and two children. Of course I understand it is a lot in one go and many families couldn't afford it but you don't do it every day.

GerardWay123 · 04/07/2021 23:15

I think you are correct OP. It's disgusting. It costs bugger all to feed & home all those animals. A couple of tigers....ohh £5 a day......plus staffing costs, 24 hour vets (it's not like bloody vets for pets. Oh no my rabbits not well). The bedding, water changes, electric for a whole wildlife park, insurance etc, etc. There will be even more costs involved. Accountants, groundsmen.

XenoBitch · 04/07/2021 23:19

It is not a charity. Places with animal/grounds cost an insane amount of money to run.

ArcheryAnnie · 04/07/2021 23:19

Two tickets to a west end play would cost more than that, OP. Anything which has a high upkeep which needs a bit staff will cost money, and there's not much to be done about it.

The only thing with entrance fees is that they should be fair. If they are doing discounted family tickets, then they should realise that some families have one mum and one child, and still discount. I was sick of places where it cost the same for me and DS than it would if my household had two wage-earners in it.

XenoBitch · 04/07/2021 23:23

@Jangle33

The amount of people who seem to be able to afford a Merlin pass (which makes the place you refer to look cheap) regularly astounds me.
I had one years ago. Got it with Tesco vouchers. I don't think anyone pays full price for theme parks nowadays. There is always some deal on somewhere.
Scotmum83 · 04/07/2021 23:34

Look on Groupon or similar, just did a quick search and there's 30% off vouchers and other offers. Tesco club card used to do good deals for places like this too not sure if that even exists any more. Worth taking a bit of time looking at the different voucher and cash back websites before you book days out as they are so expensive.

BritWifeInUSA · 04/07/2021 23:38

Cheaper than Disney.

Jaxhog · 04/07/2021 23:39

Do you have any idea how expensive keeping wild animals is? Keeping them, and you, safe?

TheGenealogist · 04/07/2021 23:42

People obviously do pay it though or they would have no customers and be adjusting their pricing model.

A cinema ticket costs what, £8 or £10 for a couple of hours? Or you could have a whole day out for £20 per person, less if you shop around, use vouchers etc.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 04/07/2021 23:42

@Jaxhog

Do you have any idea how expensive keeping wild animals is? Keeping them, and you, safe?
One would think taht people keeping kids could imagine how expensive a polar bear or a tiger would be😁
sandgrown · 04/07/2021 23:47

Is that the normal price or higher because they have to restrict the number of visitors? There are not as many deals available at the moment. Do you have a staff association at work as we get lots of discounted days out through ours ?

CasparBloomberg · 04/07/2021 23:50

@TSSDNCOP

I have a great one for you all.

There is now a zip line at Bluewater. You zoom down from the top of the pit wall to somewhere near the lake.

It is, wait for it, FIFTY POUNDS PER PERSON

For an experience lasting about 20 seconds.

We went there just before they opened that new area. A 2 hour zip line course in the forest there cost less than that then 😧 That’s outrageous to charge that much now for one attraction!
saleorbouy · 04/07/2021 23:51

It is alot of money but when you put it in the perspective of a 90min football match, sporting event or pop concert then it's not bad for a whole day of entertainment.
On site food costs can be bypassed with a picnic and flask. Souvenir shop funnel can be dashed through or a kiss spend your own birthday money affair.

rosalie11 · 05/07/2021 00:05

I paid £96 for a magic Mike ticket so I would pay it lol and no I’m not rich

Maggiesfarm · 05/07/2021 00:13

@Icannever

We’ve just been to longleat safari park. It would have cost us £126 for our family of 4 but i used my Clubcard vouchers. Even spending that much in Clubcard vouchers went against the grain as it takes me a long time to save them up 😀. But it was an amazing day out and I’d actually go back and pay for tickets. I rarely pay full price for days out but it’s harder this year to find discounts. However I’ve got tickets to legoland, Alton towers, chessington and Thorpe park all for the price of a few issues of the sun (yes it’s an awful newspaper). Best bargain ever 😀. The promotions are finished for this year but worth keeping an eye out next year if you like that sort of thing. My biggest gripe is the safari park near us has reopened with almost everything fun closed but is still charging the exact same price.
They still have to feed, house and generally care for all the animals including health care, which must be very expensive.

I too love Longleat, been twice.

londonscalling · 05/07/2021 00:20

Things are so expensive. I know this is a different thing but my friend wanted to take his three teenagers on a group kitesurfing lesson. It's £120 each, so £480 in total.

Floralnomad · 05/07/2021 01:10

Merlin passes are excellent value if you live in the SE , back in the day when my children were children we used to do Thorpe park in the morning and Chessington on the way back home in the afternoon .

BarbaraofSeville · 05/07/2021 06:25

Somebody upthread said they were surprised they got away with charging that much in Yorkshire. Why? What’s so different about Yorkshire

In Yorkshire, we have a reputation of being 'careful' with our money. Locals will understand the joke in the Yorkshire war cry of 'ow much'!?

On the matter of discount codes, I don't think they are widely available for this particular place, unlike comparable attractions like Alton Towers or the sea life centres. But the places who do offer endless 2 for 1 deals are often more expensive in the first place. But yes, modern day definition of more money than sense is to pay full price for an attraction, or chain restaurant for that matter, because there's almost always a discount available. Google or Moneysaving expert is your friend.

With the YWP it used to be that you could get a small discount for booking in advance, but that's probably irrelevant at the moment as I expect everyone has to pre book.

They're probably on lower capacity than normal so might have to allow fewer visitors than normal on weekends at the moment.

There are still ways to reduce the cost. Annual passes if you are close enough to go regularly, take a picnic, I'm surprised that do many people are willing to pay so much for what is usually bad food.

Once your DC is over about 5, they're perfectly capable of carrying their own picnic in a small rucksack, no need for one person to lug all the food for the entire family. Or often many places allow you to go back to the car to get the picnic and re-enter so always worth checking.

Also ignore the gift shop or tell DC if they want something they need to use their pocket money rather than you giving them extra.

QueenBee52 · 05/07/2021 06:32

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 ?