THORPE PARK Resort Happy Height Day reviewer thread. Non testers: tell us what makes the ultimate fun day out and you could win THORPE PARK Resort annual family passes worth £196 NOW CLOSED

[AngelieMumsnet]

This is a thread for the 50 Mumsnetters who attended the Happy Height Day at THORPE PARK Resort. Thanks for going, and we hope that you and your family had great day!

Here's what THORPE PARK Resort say: "We see so many excited kids every year who have just reached 1.4m and are now tall enough to have the ride of their lives. At THORPE PARK Resort we're championing this achievement with our Happy Height Day, and celebrating the moment these kids experience a whole new world of thrills!
Whilst we love seeing these kids giddy with excitement to ride on Stealth for the first time, with over 25 rides and attractions throughout the Park and with a new ANGRY BIRDS Land opening in May, there really is so much to keep the whole family entertained. And that includes those under 1.4m"

Below are some questions for you to answer, but do feel free to add any other comments you or your family may have.

Please remember to also write a review of your day on the MN review area here

• Who was in your group and how old are the children?
• Have you been to THORPE PARK Resort before, if so, when?
• What was your, and your family's, overall experience of Happy Height Day?
• What were your/your DCs highlights of the day?
• Which, if any, attractions/ rides would you most recommend to parents with children who have just reached 1.4m in height?
• Overall, would you recommend THORPE PARK Resort to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?

Please also upload any photos of your family enjoying their day out THORPE PARK Resort to this thread. Please note photos may be used by THORPE PARK Resort on Facebook, their website and possibly on other marketing material.

For those of you who did not attend Happy Height Day, what makes the ultimate fun day out for you and your family? Everyone who adds a comment will be entered into a prize draw where one MNer will win THORPE PARK Resort ANNUAL PASSES for a family of four worth £196

Thanks and good luck,

MNHQ

A big thanks to Thorpe Park customer service team, especially Seema, for going through the photographs and finding this one of my girls. I hope Thorpe Park representatives look at this thread, your staff are great!

Hi Everyone
Thanks for all the great feedback! Some really useful insight that we will pick up on moving forward.
Hope you all enjoy your annual passes! And Angry Birds Land later in the year.
Jason, Marketing Director, Thorpe Park

Hope this is still useful:)

Who was in your group and how old are the children?
Me, aged 39, DH,52, until he got summoned in to work:(, DD1 is twelve and 159 cm (taller than me!) DD2 is 10 and 149cm, DS is eleven months and snuck in free of charge as he is a mere 76cm long.

Have you been to Thorpe Park before?
I grew up in London and Thorpe Park was a paradise I got to go to every year with youth club from the age of eleven. I'd never taken the family before,though.

What was your family's overall experience of Happy Height Day?
Wonderful! DD2 was smitten with Angry Bird as soon as we arrived. Both girls particularly loved all the water rides and got a lot of use out of the Fasttrack pass. They also both liked the Flying Fish. Not brave enough for the big rollercoasters though, on this visit at least.

What were your highlights of the day?
Tidal Wave for both girls, and for that matter ds spectating. That's one impressive plume of water! They also loved The Storm in a Teacup, the rapids and Depth Charge.

What attractions would you most recommend for children who have just reached 140cm?
I don't think there was anything in particular with that height restriction that my children were itching to go on, although I may have just bred wimps! They had a wonderful time on the smaller rides the big roller coasters may well need working up to long after 140cm has been reached. I wouldn't go on some of them, ever! I am a wimp!

Overall would you recommend Thorpe Park if it came up in conversation?
Oh yes! It is a varied,exciting theme park I don't think my family will ever grow out of. I think it needs abit more to entertain the toddlers,though.

Other Comments:

Interestingly DD1 was quite uncomfortable with the in-ride photography. I didn't go on the rides, other than The Carousel with DS, but I hear from DD2 that she went to a lot of trouble to figure out where the cameras were and to smile for them. Could an opt-out/in feature be worked into them?

We had lunch in Bar 360. The food was really tasty and reasonably priced, although the service was quite slow. If we'd been using our own money I think I'd have minded £6 for a main course childrens meal for ds as he didn't finish it. A toddler portion for around £3 would be a welcome additional option, as would child-sized dessert options.
I'm really looking forward to bringing ds back when the beach is open, because it looks perfect for toddlers. At under 90cm there was only one ride he could go on, though. We are lucky that he is both young enough and placid enough to enjoy spectating, but an average-height and average-tempered two-year-old could easily get bored, frustrated and ruin a family day out regardless of the free entry for them. A soft play/ball pit would make a welcome, winter alternative to the beach.

I do not envy Thorpe Parks' management team the task of balancing the needs of families with large groups of unsupervised teenagers and some young adults. It was only on the way home the girls mentioned that older kids had pushed in front of them in some of the lines. I feel that this needs closer monitoring. I'd like to echo the earlier comments on smoking in the park being apparently unrestricted and unpleasant. I also noticed that the cigarettes on sale in one of the gift shops were on open display.
As this is Mumsnet I'm pleased to report that I breastfed, in public, several times during the day both in the cafe and out and about without interference! While Thorpe Park are interested in Mumsnetters views it would be wonderful to have a positive statement from them that their staff training covers the law protecting breastfeeding infants. I notice that, had I wanted privacy, there are no facilities marked on the map.

I hope that's helpful! Our sincere thanks to Mumsnet and Thorpe Park for a fabulous day.

Non tester here.
A great family day out needs
decent toilets!
not to be too expensive
offer the chance for everyone in the family to interact and have fun together - joint activities, not everyone just doing their own thing at the same place
sunshine or wellies weather - it doesn't matter

- Who was in your group and how old are the children?

Our group was me and DH and our two oldest ds's aged 9 (nearly 10) and 11, both are over 140 cm.

- Have you been to THORPE PARK Resort before, if so, when?

I have been as a child so 25 years ago?!

- What was your, and your family's, overall experience of Happy Height Day?

We had a fantastic day. It ran really smoothly from getting in easily and quickly to getting our passes at the end of the day. I am pregnant so couldn't go on any of the rides and I have to admit I was gutted! I am such a thrill seeker that having the golden pass and all those rides would have been a dream day! As it was the passes were amazing. It meant that I wasn't sitting around on my own for most of the day and we could spend the day together.

The staff that we met throughout the day were brilliant. We had lunch in the 360 degree grill and I did spot some other mnetters there at the same time. We weren't expecting the food to be all that great but actually it was really quite good, plentiful and not too expensive (if we had been paying for it ourselves). The waitress we had was really lovely and chatty. There was a small issue as the bar staff didn't know how to process the park pounds vouchers but that wasn't really a big deal.

The day was really well thought through, and the little extras like the big angry bird (piggy) and the ponchos were lovely touches. My ds's had an amazing day, and as we had told them we were going on a 10 mile nature hike the look on their faces when we went through the gates was priceless!

- What were your/your DCs highlights of the day?

Sadly lunch was the highlight of my day, but the boys both loved X and the highlight of DHs day was seeing ds2's face after his ride on Colossus! In fact the only hitch in the day was Colossus as only ds2 was brave enough to go on it but he queued for nearly an hour even with the golden pass although the normal queue time only said 75 mins.

- Which, if any, attractions/ rides would you most recommend to parents with children who have just reached 1.4m in height?
My two both loved X and would recommend that and the flying fish. Also Colossus and stealth.

- Overall, would you recommend THORPE PARK Resort to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?

Definitely would recommend Thorpe Park, although the cost is a bit steep if you were paying for everything, and the £5 parking charge is a real rip off considering the cost of entrance fees.

I just want to say thank you to both mumsnet and Thorpe Park for a totally amazing day with our boys. We have four dc and another on the way and it was lovely to do something so special with the older two on their own minus the little ones (aged 2 and 3), everything about the day made us feel very spoiled!

We are already booked to go camping on the first bank holiday in May and the second bank holiday, at the end of May.

Assuming dreading that Angry bird day will be one of those days?

Who was in your group and how old are the children?

Me, DH and DS1 10 and DS2 7

Have you been to THORPE PARK Resort before, if so, when?

We went to Thorpe Park years ago when DS2 was a toddler.

What was your, and your family's, overall experience of Happy Height Day?

We had a brilliant day Thank you. We were made to feel very special with the goody bag and fast track passes. We managed more rides than I expected and your staff were so helpful and friendly.

What were your/your DCs highlights of the day?

DS1 loved Tidal Wave and X. DS2 loved X and the Flying Fish.

• Which, if any, attractions/ rides would you most recommend to parents with children who have just reached 1.4m in height?

Nemisis that was a brilliant rollarcoaster. Also Tidal Wave but prepared to get wet. My DS1 didn't want to go on swarm as he felt uncomfortable with the noise and disaster area set up.

• Overall, would you recommend THORPE PARK Resort to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?

I would recommend Thorpe Park to those parents who have older childern/teenagers. The rides were brill and the staff were very helpful. However, there were large groups of unsupervised teenagers which changed the feel of the park to one aimed at older children and not families.
We are looking forward to going back and we are hoping DS2 grows .1m during the summer!

PS lovely to meet some mumsnetters. Look forward to seeing you all again for the Angry Birds launch.

We can only do the last weekend of May (at a push) seriously hoping it will be then...!!!

Who was in your group and how old are the children?

myself (38), dh (42), ds (14 - 170cm), dd1 (8 - 134cm), dd2 (17mths)

Have you been to THORPE PARK Resort before, if so, when?

up until 12mths ago we had gold merlin passes for the preceding 3 years, which were fantastic value and as we live in essex made the most of them with trips to legoland, chessingtons, thorpe park and london to go on the eye, madame tussauds and the aquarium. we didnt renew as money was tight at the time but with this bonus we should be able to afford the upgrade. thorpe park dh and dd1 last went before the cards ran out last august.

What was your, and your family's, overall experience of Happy Height Day?

we were seen straight away and got our goodie bag with no hassle at all, the angry bird made dd1 happy and the ponchos made us happy so that was a lovely touch.

dh, ds & dd1 had a fabulous day, the gold passes were much appreciated and a real treat as there is no way on earth we would pay 75 per person for these. most of the rides they got straight on but a couple of them still had a 45+ minute wait which i didnt find acceptable especially as my and dd2 were waiting at the other end. nemesis kept having problems so at least 60 mins was wasted queuing then being told to come back and then queuing again for it still not to work!!!

Zoe told us when we checked in to come get our annual passes next time we come as the queue was quite long. in the shops, food places and games stands we showed them our pass voucher and still got money off. 2-4-1 on games etc... so its a shame other mnetters didnt get the perks!!

we met a mnetter at the bottom of swarm while dh & ds went on and i had to amuse dd2, i forget your name sorry!! i found trying to amuse dd2 a real nightmare - she wants to be out of the buggy exploring while everyone else wants to rush to the next ride. she could only go on the carousel and thats was it - at chessingtons we took her on bubbleworks, the boat ride, to the petting farm an in the aquarium. even just some little post man pat rides or sand pits or soft play bits would be much appreciated. me and her didnt have the best day due to this fact!!!

staff on the whole were very attentive and enquiring about our day and if everything was ok, there were a couple who didnt seem to have a clue - a girl on the donut counter was asked by someone in front of me to split the 20 donuts in 5 bags which nearly gave her a meltdown and then when it was our turn we ended up with 5 instead of 10 then got an extra 2 so maths wasnt their strong point - also a lass in the souvenir shop in the main dome had a meltdown when given 5 park pounds for the 6 i had spent, i then had to inform her i still owed her a pound.

we were there from 10 until 6pm and had a really good day - my only gripes would be:

*the lack of signposts for rides, at chessingtons there is signs pointing out the different areas which are a huge help to get your bearings.
*we bought a refillable drink for the day but the straw shattered twice and we had to hunt down the right stalls to replace them which of course you then had to find somewhere else to fill it.
*when we wanted to eat we went to the bar b que place but as its just under a canopy and more like a canteen, we went to pizza hut instead. this was relatively cheap 35 for 4 of us but oh my god it was like a plague of locusts!! rude locusts!!! the pizza bar was no where near big enough for the many many people barging in front of one another to pinch the last slice of pepperoni. again we like the pizza place at chessingtons and lego land more than this and you get a discount there!!
*some of the fast track entrances were closed and we had to hunt for where to go instead which was a hassle especially on colossus as we had walked past the very place we needed to go to

on the plus side:

the park was very clean as were the toilets
staff were on the whole very polite and engaging

What were your/your DCs highlights of the day?

dh & ds loved stealth as it was the first time they had been on it, dd loved the flying fish, loggers leap and the rapids but her highlight was her big brother winning her a massive minion by scoring a basket in one of the games huts. my highlight was the ease at which we did everything, it wasnt stupid busy so everyone went on everything they wanted to without any disappointments

Which, if any, attractions/ rides would you most recommend to parents with children who have just reached 1.4m in height?

dd1 cant wait to be taller so she can go on nemesis and colossus - these two dont seem too crazy. if kids are ok on these then they can progress to swarm and stealth.

Overall, would you recommend THORPE PARK Resort to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?

i would recommend thrope park to anyone who has children at least 1.2m tall as other wise the smaller kids will be bored and you may have to split the group up - when we next come i will probaby take dd2 to the beach area while dh takes the older 2 on the rides, this is not a family day out. for teenagers, birthday treats and groups of older kids this is a great place to go, can go off on your own without too many concerns and enjoy the rides.

thank you so much mumsnet for this we had a fab time and the kids cant wait to go back to angry birds land!!!

Non tester (ds is 139cm tall ). A great day for us is when ds has a fabulous day, dh and I can enjoy ourselves, theres gluten free food for me (sadly lacking at most theme parks), and somewhere we can sit while ds has some free play so dh can rest his bad leg. I appreciate somewhere near rides I can wait comfortably for them

Our fun family day outs are:

• not too far to go in the car (max 2 hours driving) an hours drive is perfect

-Something for everyone, if I can't keep my little ones busy its not right and we love animals, adventure, things to climb and play on -Good food and drink, I have to have somewhere comfy to refuel and it has to be good food, and not too expensive. I can't bare bad food that costs the earth! -Not much queueing as my boys are small and they don't have the patience to wait so it just spoils it for everyone if we can't do what we want when want to.

• We like to be able to wonder around at our own pace and not have to plan ahead to much

-Finally we like to be hands on whether thats getting involved or seeing and looking it has to be interactive

The ultimate fun day out for my family involves a train trip - long enough to have a packed lunch and play travel mastermind or do puzzles or read. Then we arrive at a place we have never been before, preferably with a castle or a beach. We explore the locality, spend ages at the attraction, with a picnic along the way or a fine English Heritage soup, discover the town, have fish and chips with the seagulls on the beach or go to a restaurant and then head back home as the sun sets. perfect.

our ultimate family fun day involves somewhere with good facilities for children. Activities for all ages. plenty of places to eat and good selection of food.

Non-tester comments;

Our great day out introduces us to something new or pushes us a bit - something to marvel at, wonder at or be entranced with. I LOVE theme parks and have not yet been to Thorpe Park, but a great day out for us was Chessington and going on the vampire ride, picknicking by the sealions, seeing the lion roar up against the glass and going back on the Vampire ride . It can just as easily be going to Ham House (National Trust) for the first time and seeing the wonderful gardens.

Somewhere pleasant and relaxing to eat, we don't mind paying if the food is good quality and the surroundings nice, a welcoming atmosphere...going home tired and smiling. No rip-off extra charges for everything, no feeling like a cash co to be exploited.

Non tester unfortunately
My perfect day out is something for all ages so that everyone is happy. i also like everything inclusive as extras all add up when you have five children. I take a picnic sometimes and snacks but always look for lunch deals like kids eat free with adult meals purchased or sometimes cheaper meals after a certain time. A choice of play areas and also seats and coffee for mum is a must. That way we are all happy

Non-tester
A good family day out is preferably not too expensive and not too much tat for sale so the kids are constantly asking for something! Somewhere with a range of activities so that all my kids enjoy themselves. If there are rides, have somewhere to sit/wait nearby for those not going on the ride. Plenty of clean toilets available. Either a picnic area or reasonably priced meals that aren't just hot dogs.
So long as the kids have enjoyed themselves, then it is always a good day for me :)

Im a non tester. A fun day out for me and my family is an active day, with things we can do. We like museums and things, but the best days are those like Chessington, diggerland, go ape. Active, adrenalin, laughs, something everyone from the age of five to 35 can enjoy together. I prefer days which are an upfront cost, with loads of discounts available, but dont expect loads more expenditure on the day. You can take a picnic, enjoy the day.

Non Tester

Our perfect family day out would be that something that all of us can enjoy. Somewhere with focused entertainment but also with space ofr adults to just to chill and let the kids burn off energy Plenty of Coffee stalls and places to eat, so many times we go places and theres only 2 eateries so at lunch time you end up queuing for so long for mediocre/absolute tat food. We do mostly picnic these days so an indoor picnic area as well as outdoor is always a great option. The parent swap thing on rides always draws us in too.

Non tester.
My ultimate family fun day out would be somewhere easy to get to, with decent parking, and something for all ages, e.g. toddler rides, outdoors play equipment, soft play for little ones, in addition to stuff for older kids.
Lots of choice for food, we tend to treat ourselves and buy our food rather than do packed lunches.
Lastly, clean facilities, and plenty of baby change areas.

I also agree about paying "all in" at the gate. It puts me right off having to pay for loads of extras after getting in.

Ultimate day out would be easy / not stressful to get to.

Plentiful parking. Variety of things to do in case it rains and need to go undercover for a while.

Reasonably priced refreshments. Clean facilities.

Non-tester here too. An ultimate fun day out has an appeal for you. So things for adults as well as for children (of all ages). This means little ones too. Also places to picnic as well as places to buy affordable food.

Who was in your group and how old are the children?
Me, OH, DD (age 13 and just 140cms) and DS, 7

Have you been to THORPE PARK Resort before, if so, when?
No I have never been there before

What was your, and your family's, overall experience of Happy Height Day?
We really enjoyed it (well DS enjoyed some of it, but we will get to that...) DS loved the angry bird, which has now taken up residence on his bed. Didnt take as long to get there as I had thought, and we couldnt stay all day as had to get back by 7, but it was enough time to go on several rides.
The food was good in the 360 grill, although we went and had to be put on a waiting list for a table, and then the food took a pretty long time to come, but was tasty. DS got to play on the XBox while we waited so he was happy.
DD went on Collossus, Inferno and Loggers Leap. She chickened out of Saw, but OH went on and came off shaking and saying it was fantastic.
We took DS onto X as DD had told him that it wasnt fast. He loved the lights and music in the queue, it had an amazing 'waiting to get into a club' vibe, but then it turned out that it WAS fast, and he spent most of the ride crying. He was allowed to soak his sister with a water cannon on the log ride as a sort of compensation.

What were your/your DCs highlights of the day?
OH liked Saw, DD liked Inferno, I liked X despite the crying child attached to my side, DS liked the XBox

Which, if any, attractions/ rides would you most recommend to parents with children who have just reached 1.4m in height?
Collosus looked good!!

Overall, would you recommend THORPE PARK Resort to your friends and family if it came up in conversation? If so, why? If not, why not?
If they enjoy rides, then yes, definately!

Non Tester here

Our ultimate family day out needs to cater for everyone- we don't all have to be able to do all things but there needs to be something for all of us- ideally there will be some 'big kid' and some 'toddler' rides so both my children feel like they have had fun.

I like it if the day isn't completely dependent on perfect weather so some activities outside, some under cover and some inside is perfect.

Ideally the facilities should be clean and well stocked- ie loo roll and soap in the bathrooms, the baby change bins not overflowing and the restaurant with tables cleared and plenty of choice.

Once we are through the door I don't mind paying for quality- ie nice food and coffee and maybe a photo op and bit of gift shop tat but resent paying loads for 'extras' that should be included- rides in a theme park should ALL be covered in the entry and parents shouldn't feel forced with coin operated ones!

I like the staff to be friendly and helpful and assuming it is a child friendly place expect them to be friendly to the children! I also don't want to spend my entire day queuing- who wants to spend over £100 on a day out only to go on four rides because the queues are so long?! Oh and parking should always be included...

I sound like a really fussy customer now however I have never minded paying a decent amount for a good family day out but do expect it to be worth it- I would definitely recommend some places (can't comment on THORPE Park as haven't been lucky enough to go since childhood but certainly some others in the UK) could benefit from looking at the Puy du Fou in France- brilliantly run and an amazing day out for all the family, so much so that we will be going back for the fifth time this year despite the entrance costs being fairly high.

Non tester.

We accept that we either schlep food around or pay the asking price (although pleasant surroundings and good food, even at even more inflated prices, is a nice option to have) . All inclusive (as in, rides and attractions all included) pricing is good, even if it isn't cheaper at least you don't feel like you are shelling out constantly.

.. but above all, a great day out, theme park or otherwise, is made by the attitude of the people we encounter. Cheerful, helpful people who manage to give the impression of being interested absolutely make the difference. We went to Warwick Castle recently and I have to say the staff were great. Every single person we came across was friendly and personable. All those purporting to be experts seemed to be actually, well, expert, too .

I agree that parking really ought to be included. When you spend £100 on a day out it feels petty to have to pay extra for parking. How else are you meant to get there? I know Chessington is on the bus route, I don't know about Thorpe Park, but for us it would be a 20 mile journey on public transport, perhaps wet clothes at the end too.

I didn't use the lockers but I think they're a good idea and something to remember for next time.