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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:
BarbaraofSeville · 05/07/2021 06:38

If they found that visitor numbers dropped and feedback suggested it was price related, they'd probably introduce discount schemes. The fact they don't do that suggests they don't currently see the need to do that.

For a full day attraction that people are willing to travel to, it's lower than average cost anyway or you get more for your money, eg probably about the same price as Go Ape charges for a session of an hour or whatever you get.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/07/2021 06:42

People on low incomes are always going to struggle with affording things like this, and most families will see it as a once a year treat, it's not intended to be the sort of thing you do every weekend.

To be priced at a level where people could go more often they'd have to let in many many more people and it would be too crowded to be enjoyable, you'd not be able to see a lot of the animals without fighting your way through a scrum.

Tempusfudgeit · 05/07/2021 06:50

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park does an amazing job rescuing animals (lions, tigers, bears - oh my) from awful zoos across the world and providing them with wonderful, enriching environments in which to live out their days. The entrance fee reflects the cost of such operations. I see it as a donation to that work, as much as an entrance fee.

tickingthebox73 · 05/07/2021 07:01

This is a sign of things to come, we went to Chessington and the 2:4:1 deals are long gone, all said and done it was £80 per person and we took a picnic....

RampantIvy · 05/07/2021 07:14

@Tempusfudgeit

The Yorkshire Wildlife Park does an amazing job rescuing animals (lions, tigers, bears - oh my) from awful zoos across the world and providing them with wonderful, enriching environments in which to live out their days. The entrance fee reflects the cost of such operations. I see it as a donation to that work, as much as an entrance fee.
So do I.
HarrisMcCoo · 05/07/2021 07:28

Checked website. £89.30 for family of six to our nearest zoo. That's not including food, treats etc.

Frogsandsheep · 05/07/2021 07:30

You don’t have to be in a position of not being able to afford something to think it’s expensive.

Absolutely. We could technically afford to spend a £100 on a day trip once a week but we don’t and it doesn’t mean I don’t think some places are too expensive or not worth it. I go to the theatre regularly but hardly ever take the children as it’s a £300 day trip and they just don’t enjoy it enough for it to be worth it. I’d rather put that towards a family holiday that they will properly enjoy. If they loved the theatre it would be different. I think theatre prices are insane and many people could never afford decent seats (or any seats).

I personally think that the price in the OP is reasonable but there are other places we have been that have felt like a complete rip off and other places I refuse to go! We do go out on a lot of day trips but lots of them are very cheap and I use club card vouchers and groupon.

Frogsandsheep · 05/07/2021 07:35

@HarrisMcCoo

£89.30 for a family of 6 seems very reasonable to me for a full day out.
It doesn’t mean everyone can afford it but per head it’a less than £15 which is a lot cheaper than other places or a theme park or theatre trip.

Mine love the local water park, laser tag and trampoline park and even they wouldn’t be much cheaper for 6 people and that’s for a couple of hours.

CupOfTPlease · 05/07/2021 07:38

We looked at Paultons Park and those prices have snot up.

DS would be free but it would be £80+ for me and DP to walk around Peppa Pig world!

CupOfTPlease · 05/07/2021 07:39

Shot up*

Abraxan · 05/07/2021 07:42

Lots of picnic areas - so don't need to buy food. Can take a picnic. Car park is close enough to go back out to so don't need to carry it round. Done it several times over the years.

Yes, there is a gift shop. In the many years of visiting there with Dd we have never once felt the need to buy anything in there.

Paying to feed and care for animals isn't cheap. The price tends to reflect this.

Stevearnottsbeard · 05/07/2021 07:44

This is why don't have family day outs anymore, we can't afford it!

00100001 · 05/07/2021 07:45

@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 ?

Well, that hasn't ht.

Also, I'd like to think that people understand they're contributing to the "upkeep" of the animals and happily pay, in exchange to see these wild animals close up.

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

reluctantbrit · 05/07/2021 07:52

@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.
We got ours as a family Christmas present and bought it in the Boxing Day sale.

We used it very much during the year, went to several places more than once, and after that haven't been at all to any of the parks/attractions.

I saw it as an investment for that year, DD had a great time, friends had their passes in the same year so we often went together.

Now try and book a WestEnd play for 3 people with decent seats. Or even local smaller theatres, the prices went through the roof before Covid. Having a friend in the industry I do know why but it will definitely price people out.
Luckily my PIL love giving tickets as presents.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/07/2021 08:00

@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.
But if you compare the cost against entrance to even a few attractions a year, they're excellent value and give access to as many cheap days out as you like if you live close to the attractions or want to incorporate visits into holidays or visiting relatives or whatever.

Plus there's regular sales throughout the year, so you don't even pay full price for the pass.

Most people will have enough flexibility in their budget to pay for the cost and you could spread it across a couple of paydays for free by just using a credit card.

What I'm more surprised about is the number of people who seem unaware of easy and common moneysaving techniques that can make an enormous difference to how far your money goes compared with just paying full price.

Twinkie01 · 05/07/2021 08:04

At least there's a days entertainment at a zoo. Try Greenwich Observatory. Basically a little house with not much in and then some clocks. Oh and then a great view. For that it costs almost £50 for 4.

WalkingInTheAir13 · 05/07/2021 08:07

I believe that the main reason for the high prices is the cost of Public Liability Insurance these places are forced to pay.

To implement and maintain the Health & Safety criteria alone is an astronomical amount.

Without this, these venues could not open.

SchrodingersImmigrant · 05/07/2021 08:10

@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 ?

They won't be priced out. Some will, but there will allways be enough. They are not stupid, the people running it, you know.
myusernamewastakenbyme · 05/07/2021 08:10

Im still annoyed at being ripped of by the Sea Life Centre in 2005...what an absolute con....my kids were bored after an hour and wanted to go back to the beach.

RampantIvy · 05/07/2021 08:11

Yes, that as well @WalkingInTheAir13.

I get that paying over £80 for a day out is a lot of money, but I don't understand the self entitledness of some posters who clearly don't understand how much it costs to run a zoo.

A PP asked earlier what would happen if people refused to pay those prices and stopped going. The simple answer is that the animals would be euthanised.

I doubt that any UK zoo is in profit at the moment.

BarbaraofSeville · 05/07/2021 08:13

For comparison, below is the cost of other similar attractions in northern England. I don't know if the other places are part of cereal packet 2 for 1 type schemes, or if that's the price but for 2 adults and 2 children at:

Chester zoo: £95
Flamingo Land: £110 to £130 depending on how far ahead you book
Knowsley Safari park: £58

Knowsley is less than I thought, but the point being that YWP is similarly priced or slightly less than comparable attractions.

rantymcrantface66 · 05/07/2021 08:16

Our local zoo is similar if not more. It's not a regular thing, we go once a year max maybe even once every 2 and that's enough. I'm a single parent and a TA so as you know earning pittance, was better off when on benefits, so not out of reach just an occasional treat that needs budgeted for. I'd take a picnic and they'd spend their own pocket money/birthday or Xmas money in the shop and get an ice cream in Tesco on the way home

bigbluebus · 05/07/2021 08:27

I always used to look out for discount vouchers or buy Tesco Clubcard deals when the DCs were young. Tourist brochures often have discount vouchers in them - every little helps! But as others have said, trips like this are special treats and not every day activities - unless your wealthy.
Plenty of wildlife/safari Park deals on Clubcard - although not the one you're referring to.

a8mint · 05/07/2021 08:37

Do they still do the evening safaris? They were cheaper than day tickets and the animals were much more active in the evening

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 05/07/2021 08:43

Lots of these days out/exoeriences can be paid with Tesco vouchers so are kept artificially high.