Days out - good value or hidden extras?

[dottee]

We're currently doing the 'days out' thing during the summer school holidays. We're having a good time in general but there's something that's beginning to niggle me - hidden extras.

I'm doing my research on the web before we go and taking packed lunches to reduce the overall cost and spread the funds out to future expeditions but I feel I'm having to dig in to my purse after I've bought the, what I believe to be at the time of purchase, inclusive admission tickets.

Take for example Monday's visit to steam railway at Ripley. The tickets included unlimited travel on the trains for that day (Day Out With Thomas) but when we got off at the stop where it was all happening, we were faced with a bouncy castle (extra), roundabouts (extra) and a separate light railway ride (extra). The latter proved to me reasonable and worth the additional although it would have been nice to have been included in the price budgetted for.

Then today - the Earth Centre in South Yorkshire. Lovely setting and looked promising on entry but as soon as we got to the main part, we were faced with a water simulater (£2 a go) and then a bouncy castle (£1 each).

I realise that the extra features are optional but try explaining that to a family of three all under 10. Luckily, peace was temporarily returned via the ice cream vendor.

Am I being mean by moaning about this? What does anyone else think? Also, I must add that the optional features are mentioned in the leaflets but without reference to extra cost. Hmmm!

[PamT]

Car parking charges are very annoying too, especially when you have to pay a lot to go into the attraction. I too like to know what I am going to have to fork out for before I set off out somewhere.